Catholic Conference of Ohio Executive Director Reacts
to Governor DeWine’s Comments on the Death Penalty
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Brian Hickey, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, issued the following statement in response to Governor Mike DeWine’s comments on the death penalty:
Governor DeWine is correct that Ohio should not kill human beings, given the flawed system of execution. Ohioans are increasingly recognizing that the death penalty perpetuates a cycle of violence, deprives offenders of rehabilitation, and increases costs to the state.
We appreciate Governor DeWine highlighting the role of state employees who must execute a fellow human. Such a task, even in a volunteer role, is unnatural and immoral as employees must strap up a defenseless human being and force them to take their last breath.
Several of Ohio’s death row inmates have found redemption through the Catholic faith. They have repented of their egregious crimes and seek to live as witnesses to a better way of life through prayer, penance, and service to other inmates. In a state and country in which alternatives to execution exist, we should support punishments that are in greater conformity with the dignity of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God.
We are confident, through the Catholic Church’s teaching, that God does not want the state to execute defenseless human beings. Governor DeWine’s comments and actions continue his pro-life legacy in seeking to protect Ohioans from the very beginning of life to those who, at one time, blatantly disregarded the humanity of others and need to face justice. His focus on crime victims and their families also accords with the Church’s perspective that the state should focus on supporting them rather than perpetuating more violence.
Eliminating the state’s ability to kill citizens is not a partisan issue. More and more Republicans support the State of Ohio removing the death penalty due to their Christian faith or understanding the flawed practice of a state’s human execution system. As Governor DeWine noted convincingly, the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to the unacceptable violence we witness in Ohio’s communities.
We join Governor DeWine in urging Ohio legislators to pass House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134 to prohibit the State of Ohio from funding the intentional termination of human life––including abortion, assisted suicide, and State-sanctioned execution––and to abolish the death penalty in favor of life without parole.
