The Catholic Bishops of Ohio sent a letter to members of the state’s General Assembly on the feast of the Annunciation urging legislators to uphold a consistent ethic of life by prohibiting funding the intentional termination of human life in accordance with bills recently introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate.
The Catholic Conference of Ohio (CCO) released the letter from the bishops on Thursday, March 27, in response to House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 134, which were crafted in collaboration with the CCO, the official voice of the Catholic Church in Ohio. The bills address state funding for abortion, euthanasia and execution (specifically, abolishment of the death penalty in favor of life without parole).
The bipartisan legislation had been introduced in January and reaffirmed Ohio law that prohibits state funding for practices that intentionally terminate life, including abortion, and euthanasia or assisted suicide while going a step further to abolish the death penalty.
The bishops’ March 25 letter came on the 30th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae, the encyclical on human life written by Pope St. John Paul II.
“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,” the bishops wrote. “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.”
Signatories of the letter included Bishop Earl Fernandes from the Diocese of Columbus and the shepherds of the state’s five other Roman Catholic dioceses, and the Ukrainian and Romanian eparchies.
In the letter, the bishops called for the abolition of capital punishment in Ohio.
“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,” the letter stated.
“Human dignity should not be defended selectively; our laws must reflect an unbroken and relentless commitment to life and dignity,” the bishops also emphasized. “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.”
The full letter can be viewed at www.ohiocathconf.org.