News & Press - Catholic Conference of Ohio

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified today in support of House Bill 197, which would establish community solar pilot and solar development programs. Teachings of the Catholic Church call us to care for our common home, to employ innovative means of stewarding our resources, and to attend to the needs of the vulnerable. Caring for our common home requires public attention to the means of energy production, and HB 197 brings an innovative approach to an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Click "Read more" to view the full testimony.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified today in support of House Bill 295, the Innocence Act, which would prohibit an organization from failing to verify the age of a person attempting to access material that is obscene or harmful to juveniles, prohibit a person from using another person's likeness to create sexual images of the other person, and create a private right of action for each prohibited activity. The research on pornography is clear and unanimous: its effects are gravely injurious to young people. Not only will the Innocence Act treat minors online as it does in person, but this bill also responds to one of the most pressing needs of our time. Namely, the protection and elevation of human dignity. Click "Read more" to view the full testimony.

House Bill 34, which excuses breast-feeding mothers from jury service, was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine. The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified in support of the bill sponsored by Representatives Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) and Angela King (R-Celina) and unanimously passed by both the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives. The law will go into effect 90 days from today, April 23, 2024.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified earlier this week in support of House Bill 106, which would require employers to provide earnings and deductions statements to their employees. The Catholic faith considers work a fundamental right and calls for protection in the form of fundamental fairness in all agreements and transactions. In the encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo wrote, “to defraud any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven.” Click “Read more” to view the full testimony.

In addition, House Bill 34, which would excuse breast-feeding mothers from jury service, was unanimously passed by the Ohio Senate. The bill now goes to Governor DeWine for his approval as the Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 34 last June. 

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified this week in support of Senate Bill 159, which would authorize a tax credit for donations made to pregnancy resource centers. Studies in Ohio have shown that black women and women of low socio-economic status are more likely to visit a pregnancy resource center. Given the plight of maternal health outcomes in Ohio by race and class, it is obvious that pregnancy resource centers are invaluable institutions serving women most in need. SB 159 would encourage directing funds to organizations whose efforts to support women with material resources, counseling, and personal accompaniment are a heroic witness to the dignity of women and their preborn children.  

Click "Read more" for the full testimony.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified this week in support of Senate Bill 198, which would provide inmates with state identification cards and documentation upon their release relating to work experience, education, and trade skills. The Bureau of Justice Statistics finds that three out of five of those once incarcerated struggle with unemployment, in part due to the difficulty of procuring necessary documentation. Providing applications for identification cards, copies of training records, a birth certificate, and other documents that assist a returning citizen in obtaining employment will yield manifold benefits, both for those involved in the justice system and beyond. Click "Read more" to view the full testimony.

The Ohio Senate voted to override Governor DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68, the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act which bans gender transition drugs and surgeries for minors and prohibits biological males from competing in female sports. HB 68 will soon become law after the Ohio House also voted to override the Governor’s veto earlier in January. The Catholic Conference of Ohio provided testimony in support of HB 68 in both the House and Senate, emphasizing that experience of gender incongruence among young people are serious and individuals must be met with compassion, charity, and personal accompaniment without resorting to medical interventions that harm a developing body. We are grateful to the Ohio House and Senate for prudently addressing these concerns through HB 68 and ensuring it becomes Ohio law.

Click "read more" for the full testimony.

CCO testified in the Senate Committee for Community Revitalization in support of House Bill 50 to create a certificate of qualification for housing (CQH) for the formerly incarcerated, noting that, “Restoration demands that we respond to the victims of crime with care and compassion, but the full administration of justice is impossible unless we also attend to the dignity of those returning from prison. … Becoming a tenant is one of the most important steps a formerly incarcerated person takes in their reintegration, and failure to do so dramatically increases the likelihood of recidivism.”

The Catholic Conference of Ohio supports Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty. The Ohio House and Senate bills to end the death penalty have now received proponent testimony and await opposition testimony. The Catholic Church, in Ohio and around the world, vehemently rejects the use of capital punishment, which disregards mercy, rejects redemption, and ignores the dignity of human life. Rather, the Catholic Church calls for a social order where the work of justice embraces tender acts of mercy, where our response to crime leads to renewal and redemption, and where every human life – no matter its circumstance, race, class, or stage of development – is cherished as an icon of our Creator.   

Make your voice heard and urge your state legislators to support Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Use the following action alerts to easily send a message:

• Action Alert for SB 101 - Contact Your Senator
• Action Alert for HB 259

 The Catholic Bishops of Ohio issued the following statement regarding the passing of Issue 1:

Today is a tragic day for women, children, and families in Ohio. We mourn that the dignity of human life remains concealed by the duplicity of a culture of death. Though this is a day of sorrow, we are never without hope. St. Paul tells us that it is in hope that we were saved and, “if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.”

Asking for God’s protection and mercy, we must look ahead. Despite the obstacles this amendment presents, the Catholic Church in Ohio will continue to work for policies that defend the most vulnerable, strengthen the child-parent relationship, and support women in need. As we pray for the conversion of minds and hearts to the gospel of life, we recommit ourselves to defending children in the womb and supporting women in need. The Catholic Church and faithful will never grow weary in our mission to help women and families flourish through ministries such as Walking with Moms in Need and other local organizations that provide material and spiritual support and through advocacy with policymakers.

We, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio, are grateful to the Catholic faithful, clergy, and all people of goodwill whose actions in this campaign demonstrated our commitment to honoring and upholding the dignity of life. Your sacrifices prove that the Church will never abandon her mission to support human life. We will persevere in this mission until every preborn child is protected, every pregnant woman is supported, and every human life receives respect, dignity, and justice.

Click "Read more" below to view the full statement with the bishops' signatures in English. Read the statement in Spanish by clicking here.