[Strangler Lewis]

When defense attorneys at capital trials argue in favor of mercy by saying things like "If Mr. Defendant were to have a seizure here or in prison, we'd do everything we could do to save his life," the D.A. gets up and responds, "Absolutely, we would, so that the state could visit the appropriate punishment on him, which is death." It follows that since a life sentence is punishment, the state has an interest in keeping people alive so they can punish them as much as possible.