Catholic Conference of Ohio issued the following letter in response to the introduction of House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134. The letter was directed 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 letter was sent on March 25, the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II's encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (on the Value and Inviolability of Human Life).
Dear Senator/Representative:
As the Catholic bishops of Ohio, we serve as the primary teachers, sanctifiers and shepherds of the Catholic Church in Ohio, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our mission includes urging followers of Christ, public officials, and all people of goodwill to recognize and promote the image of God found in every human being, especially those whom our society often discards. It is in this mission that we urge you, an elected representative of the people of Ohio, to uphold a consistent ethic of life by supporting legislation to prohibit 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. These policies are deeply connected, as each helps to protect against a culture where life is disposable rather than cherished and protected. House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134 recognize this unity by utilizing a non-severability clause to link these issues together. In protecting human dignity, we as bishops of the Catholic Church advocate for a consistent ethic in defending the right to life of the preborn, opposing assisted suicide, and fighting to abolish the death penalty. 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 Catholic opposition to the death penalty is rooted in a clear preference for corrective action and redemption. The Church recognizes the immense harm a crime causes to victims, their family members and society, especially the taking of human life. Such actions necessitate correction and conversion from the perpetrator and restoration of the damage caused to the public order. However, the irrevocable termination of God’s gift of human life through the death penalty goes beyond what is truly necessary to defend and protect citizens and restore order and only perpetuates the attack on human dignity and life it is attempting to address. While societal self-defense is an appropriate task of the state, the Catechism of the Catholic Church 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.” We can look to St. Paul’s famous conversion and countless examples of prison inmates finding redemption and living a new life dedicated to God and fellow inmates. State-sanctioned execution represents a judgment that an individual no longer deserves to live, no longer deserves an opportunity to encounter the living God on earth. Human dignity should not be defended selectively; our laws must reflect an unbroken and relentless commitment to life and dignity. Fostering a culture of life throughout Ohio demands a commitment to recognizing the dignity of the human person in all stages and circumstances, including the child in the womb, the infirm, those suffering from addiction and those with whom we have the fiercest disagreements. The culture of life and civilization of love must also include members of the human
family, who, at one time, blatantly disregarded the humanity of others and need to face justice, a justice which can be rightly tempered by mercy. Finally, we seek to safeguard current laws which ensure taxpayer dollars will not subsidize death and protect the elderly and vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, the poor and minorities, from the dangers of assisted suicide and euthanasia. In a pluralistic society such as ours, we understand that some General Assembly members do not agree with prohibiting tax dollars from being used for abortion, assisted suicide, or the death penalty. Even as we seek to convince all legislators and Ohioans on the need to protect lives threatened by these acts, we applaud the legislators who support these bills which, for us, represent a recognition of the image of God at the beginning of life or in those needing lifelong incarceration. Their support represents, as Pope Francis says, “a better kind of politics.”
Please join us in upholding the inherent dignity and sacredness of every human life by denying the state the ability to fund death through your support of HB 72 and SB 134. We thank you for your service to Ohio and keep you in our prayers.
The Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar, Diocese of Youngstown
The Most Rev. John Michael Botean, St. George Byzantine Catholic Diocese
The Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo, Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma
The Most Rev. Earl K. Fernandes, Diocese of Columbus
The Most Rev. Edward M. Lohse, Diocese of Steubenville
The Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic, Diocese of Cleveland
The Most Rev. Robert M. Pipta, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma
The Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas, Diocese of Toledo
The Most Rev. Michael Woost, Diocese of Cleveland