March 9, 2025
Ohio to Halt Public Funding for Death Penalty, Astd Suicide & Abortion
Ohio Lawmakers Debate Bill to Halt State Funding for Death Penalty, Assisted Suicide, and Abortion By Landon Fisher
The State of Ohio is witnessing the process of potentially significant policy reform as members of the Ohio House have begun deliberations on a bill that, if passed, would stop any state funds from being used directly or indirectly to cause human death; this encompasses the abolishment of the death penalty, putting an end to state-funded assisted suicide, and reinforcing the prohibition of state funding for abortions, according to information from a press release published yesterday by the Ohio House of Representatives.
House Bill 72 proponents, State Representatives Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) and Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), laid out their arguments to the House Judiciary Committee, emphasizing the fiscal and moral obligations to cease the practice of state-sponsored executions, while concurrently addressing their views that life, at all stages, warrants respect and protection, they presented their case.
During the sponsor testimony, Schmidt stated through the Ohio House of Representatives, “It is time for Ohio to not just be fiscally responsible, but morally responsible and committed to the dignity of every human life at every stage by prohibiting state funded death,” which encapsulates the legislators’ ethos in this matter.
The bill’s detractors, whom have yet to outline their positions in committee hearings, may argue the necessity of certain measures currently in place, like the death penalty, as a means of grave societal deterrence, while proponents will likely continue to press for the unified message that periods of fiscal and ethical reckonings necessitate laws that enshrine an unfaltering sanctity of life ethos,
“Our state should focus its taxpayer spending on upholding a consistent ethic of life,” Mathews said during the same session, a sentiment signaling the lawmakers’ desired path forward, according to the Ohio House of Representatives.
Notable within the language of HB 72, is a non-severability clause linking the three addressed issues with an unbreakable bond, thereby reinforcing the bill’s uncompromising stance against state-sponsored death in any form, a clear sign of the legislators’ commitment to a singular vision which may complicate future legislative action should any single provision within the bill encounter judicial obstacles or public pushback against such integrally bound legislation.
The House Judiciary Committee has yet to schedule further action on the bill.
As this legislative effort moves forward, Ohio may soon find itself among the states that have chosen to position their government on the matter of life and death in a manner that will undoubtedly shape future debates and the ways in which state-funded healthcare and legal systems interact with the fundamental principles of life and death.
For the latest and most comprehensive coverage on this evolving story, reference the Ohio House Republican news release.
