Abolish Ohio's Death Penalty, Bipartisan Coalition Says

COLUMBUS, OH — Another bipartisan effort to repeal the death penalty has been launched in Ohio.

State senators Nickie Antonio, Steve Huffman, Adam Miller, Jean Schmidt, Sandra Williams and others announced their legislative push to remove Ohio's death penalty during a news conference this week.

“It is time for the State of Ohio to take the compassionate, pragmatic, and economically prudent step to abolish the death penalty,” Antonio said. The Lakewood-based state senator has lobbied against the death penalty since she joined the Ohio General Assembly in 2011.

This week, Antonio found support from Republican colleagues and conservative organizations across the state. Ohio Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty issued two statements in support of Antonio's efforts.

“As we have seen in recent polling, public opinion has dramatically shifted against Ohio having the death penalty. Conservative's evolving views of the death penalty have been a major reason for this movement of public sentiment. Ohio is a pro-life and fiscally conservative state. The death penalty no longer represents Ohio’s values and it is time for our state to finally repeal this policy," said Michael Hartley from the conservative group.

The politicians and political activists were joined by representatives from Ohioans to Stop Executions, Witness to Innocence, the Ohio Catholic Conference, the Ohio Council of Churches, and other faith leaders.

"My strong Catholic faith, combined with 30 years as a practicing emergency room physician, drives my belief that life should be valued. One wrongful conviction is one too many," Huffman, a Republican from Tipp City, said.

When asked for his thoughts on the death penalty, Gov. Mike DeWine said removing the punishment would fall to the legislature. His thoughts on the death penalty have evolved over time, he noted. No one has been executed in Ohio since DeWine became governor in 2019.

Part of Ohio's difficulty in performing executions has been prohibitions ordered by courts and drug manufacturers.

Ohio currently uses a three-drug lethal injection protocol. However, many drug manufacturers are banning the use of their products in executions. Some of the drugs used in Ohio system have also been found to create pain in prisoners.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael R. Merz described Ohio's lethal injection process as "cruel and unusual punishment" making it a violation of the Constitution.

Conservative groups have also argued the death penalty is a costly and inefficient program.

While the bipartisan coalition seems to be building support, Former deputy Ohio Attorney General Mark Weaver believes the death penalty is unlikely to be repealed, he told WOSU. He said grassroots conservatives still support the death penalty.