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Anti-Death Penalty Advocates Say Bipartisan Bills Gaining Traction

Statehouse News Bureau

Ohio lawmakers are back in session with a list of bills to consider, including measures that would abolish the death penalty in the state. Those bills have already had a couple of hearings. Anti-execution advocates say they're getting closer and closer to accomplishing their goal.

There are bipartisan bills in the Ohio House and Senate to end the death penalty.

Abraham Bonowitz with Death Penalty Action says they've seen a wave of success in ending executions in other states, including Republican-led ones.

"It's really a wake-up call to recognize the failure of the death penalty as a public policy and here we are watching the legislature actually look at it with open eyes and say this isn't working it's time to get rid of it."

Proponents of the bill face an uphill climb. Prosecutors have argued to keep the death penalty as a resource in court cases and leaders in the House and Senate have voiced their support for it.

Ohio has not seen an execution since 2018 due to a shortage of drugs for lethal injection.

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