COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — There is once again a renewed push to abolish the death penalty in Ohio but this time, with a bit of a twist. 

The legislation, which has yet to be officially introduced, will both abolish the death penalty and ensure no state or taxpayer dollars are ever used to carry it out. 

“It’s always a good day to be the time when we look at abolishing the death penalty in the state of Ohio,” Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said. “To take the moral, pragmatic and economically prudent step.” 

“It should be rare, but it should be preserved and it should be available,” Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said. 

Not only would the new bill replace the death penalty sentence with life without parole and ensure no state or tax dollars are used to carry out an execution, but it also emphasizes that state dollars must also not be used for physician-assisted suicide and abortion, something already in Ohio law. 

“Ohio will not fund death,” Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) said. “This is about more than policy. It is about the affirmation that where there is human life, there is dignity, and there is hope. It is about affirming that the state should not be subsidizing death. It should not be subsidizing ending human life, no matter the form, no matter the circumstance.” 

“Life is sacred and the death penalty fails to treat human lives as such,” state Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) said.    

“To be consistent with our pro-life principles, we must uphold all three,” Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) said. “That is why we prepared a bill which makes it clear that the state of Ohio is not just fiscally responsible but committed to the dignity of every human life by prohibiting state-funded death.”

Craig said part of his issue with the death penalty is that it is applied unevenly. He said he would expect the makeup of the more than 100 inmates on Ohio’s death row to reflect the state’s overall demographics. 

“When we look at the numbers, it is extremely transparent that not all Ohioans are treated equally and the death penalty sentencing of over half of Ohio’s death row is Black while Black people make up only 13% of the total population in Ohio,” he said. “This change does not ignore the importance of retribution and punishment but advances a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system in Ohio.” 

Antonio said the justice system does not always get it right. 

“We cannot tolerate errors in the system when life is on the line,” she said. “Abolishing the death penalty is compassionate for families. Studies show that the death penalty has failed as a deterrent to crime and has prolonged the victimization of murder victims’ families and loved ones through the lengthy appeal process.”    

Not everyone sees it that way. 

“Abolishment? It’s never going to happen,” Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) said. “There’s got to be a consequence to people’s actions.” 

Plummer introduced — and plans to reintroduce — a bill with Stewart to authorize the use of nitrogen hypoxia to carry our executions in Ohio. Plummer said he “absolutely” believes the death penalty works as a deterrent for criminals. 

Plummer said that while the Ohio Senate may move forward on the bill, he is not sure about its chances in the House. 

“It has always been hot in the Senate,” he said. “I mean we’ve never had an appetite for it over [in the House]. Of course, we have a lot of new members, so who knows where they’re going to be, but I’ll take our odds over here.” 

“I believe having a strong showing here of bipartisan support, leaders in both chambers, will definitely push that forward,” Mathews said. 

While the issue is motivating for several lawmakers, it is also personal for Ohioans like Rachel Muha, whose son, Brian, was murdered 25 years ago when he was 18. Muha said she spent hours in a courthouse listening to her son’s murderers explain what happened.    

“Usually thinking: How did this happen? What am I doing here? I just want Brian back,” she said. 

Muha said even though some told her the death penalty would bring her peace, she did not think so, and that’s why she backs abolishing the practice.  

“True justice does not mask suffering with more violence,” she said. “This bill ensures that our state will always choose love over violence, compassion over convenience, and dignity over despair.” 

The bill’s sponsors said it will be officially introduced, in both the House and Senate, within the next few days. While there is bipartisan support in the Senate, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said no Democrats are part of the conversation in the House right now. Russo said the devil will be in the detail, and anything that claws back reproductive rights will be a non-starter. 

“We are going to oppose anything that undermines access to reproductive choice and freedom, while we support, many of us, support eliminating the death penalty, we have to do it while also maintaining those reproductive freedoms,” she said.    

Speaker of the Ohio House Matt Huffman (R-Lima) has previously said he does not support eliminating the death penalty. Gov. Mike DeWine has not allowed any executions during his time as governor.