Catholic Conference of Ohio

In response to the introduction of House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio sent a letter to members of the 136th General Assembly urging them to uphold a consistent ethic of life by prohibiting the State of Ohio from funding the intentional termination of human life­­­­––including abortion, euthanasia, and execution––and to abolish the death penalty in favor of life without parole.

The bishops wrote, “A government that sanctions the destruction of human life through taxpayer funding of abortion, euthanasia, or the use of capital punishment undermines the dignity of those it exists to serve and protect. If taxpayer dollars are used to end life in the womb and hasten the death of the elderly, infirm, and suffering, what message does this send? Instead, state funds should be used to advance the common good and to accompany and support those in need.“

The bishops also call for the abolition of the death penalty, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, “…more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.” 
 
Click “Read more” to view the full letter. Click here to learn more about HB 72 and SB 134.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio participated in a press conference today to introduce a new bill prohibiting state funding that intentionally terminates human life at any stage and circumstance in Ohio.

Bills to prohibit state-funded death will soon be introduced in the Ohio Senate, led by Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) and Senator Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), and in the Ohio House of Representatives, led by Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). Both bills reinforce current law banning state funding for abortion, abolish the death penalty, and expand protections against assisted suicide by linking these prohibitions together. Uniting the state’s prohibition on funding any one of these practices protects current pro-life laws, especially from future litigation, by binding them to broader bans on state funding. The bill places each provision in the same category in the Ohio Revised Code. While these issues have strong opinions on their own, the bills seek consensus that Ohioans’ tax dollars should not fund practices that they believe immorally end a human life. 

Click 'Read more' for details.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio supports Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty. The Ohio House and Senate bills to end the death penalty have now received proponent testimony and await opposition testimony. The Catholic Church, in Ohio and around the world, vehemently rejects the use of capital punishment, which disregards mercy, rejects redemption, and ignores the dignity of human life. Rather, the Catholic Church calls for a social order where the work of justice embraces tender acts of mercy, where our response to crime leads to renewal and redemption, and where every human life – no matter its circumstance, race, class, or stage of development – is cherished as an icon of our Creator.   

Make your voice heard and urge your state legislators to support Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Use the following action alerts to easily send a message:

• Action Alert for SB 101 - Contact Your Senator
• Action Alert for HB 259

The Catholic bishops of Ohio issued a letter to all Ohio Senators and Representatives asking them to support legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The Catholic Church worldwide continuously seeks the full protection of the law for human life from conception to natural death. Read the letter here.

Make your voice heard and urge your state legislators to support Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Use the following action alerts to easily send a message:

• Action Alert for SB 101 - Contact Your Senator
• Action Alert for HB 259 - Contact Your Representative

Catholic opposition to the death penalty is rooted in our teaching that every human being bears the image of God, regardless of the stage of life or circumstance. From the preborn, to the indigent, to the man on death row, the Catholic Church insists that every single human life deserves justice, respect, and mercy. It is the unequivocal teaching of the Catholic faith that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”  

Join the Catholic Conference of Ohio for the Mass for Life:
Friday, October 6 at 9:00am
St. Joseph Cathedral, Downtown Columbus
Celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes

The Ohio March for Life starts at 11am right down the street at the Ohio Statehouse. Damascus Worship will kick off with a pre-rally concert at 10am. Speakers include: Bishop Earl Fernandes, Senator Kristina Roegner, Representative Melanie Miller, and more. 

The Catholic Conference of Ohio appreciates Governor DeWine’s recent decision to delay the executions of three death row inmates scheduled for this summer. 

In promoting a culture of life and following the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Conference continues advocacy for SB 103 and HB 183, both of which would abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Since 1977, and reiterated six more times in statements since then, the bishops of Ohio have stated that capital punishment does not enhance respect for the sacredness of human life. 

Take action here to contact your state legislators and express your opposition to the death penalty. The Catholic Conference of Ohio looks forward to when the death penalty is only remembered as part of Ohio’s history.

The Cathoic Conference of Ohio testified in support of HB 183  legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The message to the House Criminal Justice Committee:  "It is time for the State of Ohio to abolish the death penalty."  Conference testimony also highlighted that "the Catholic opposition to the death penalty is ultimately rooted in mercy and is eminently pro-life."  

Take Action:  Contact your Ohio Representative.  A companion bill, SB 103 is expected to have more hearings in the fall.  Read Cinciannati Archbishop Schnurr's letter to the faithful in support of SB 103.

Governor DeWine issues four more execution reprieves for a lack of available drugs to carry out Ohio's lethal injection procedure.  The governor's orders announced September 10, 2021, rescheduled executions for between December 2024 and May 2025.  The Conference commends this action.

The Cathoic Conference of Ohio testified in support of SB 103: legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The Conference highlighted the various church statements issued over the years calling for an end to the death penalty. 

"...[In 1977] the bishops of Ohio issued a statement stating that more destruction of human life through capital punishment would not enhance people’s respect for the sacredness of the life of every person. Since then, our Conference has issued six more statements. Over the years our opposition has grown stronger and clearer.

We now unequivocally state that the death penalty should no longer be used - that it is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person – and that we should work with determination for its abolition worldwide..."

A companion bill, HB 183, is expected to have proponent testimony later in June, 2021.

Governor DeWine issued three more execution reprieves.  He stated in his order that this was due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC).  The Governor has issued a total of 24 death penalty reprieves.

The Conference commends this action.

The Ohio Attorney General’s 2020 Ohio Capital Crimes Annual Report, released on April 1, 2021, criticized the state’s death-penalty system as “increasingly time-consuming, costly, and lethargic.” (Read the Analysis by the Death Penalty Information Center)