Kasich Signs Bill Making Assisted Suicide a Felony
Ohio Becomes Fifth State to Strengthen Protections from Assisted Suicide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Katherine Franklin
DATE: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 PHONE: 614-547-0099 ext. 304
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Yesterday, pro-life Governor John Kasich signed H.B. 470, making assisted suicide a third-degree felony in Ohio, punishable by up to five years in prison. The bill strengthens Ohio’s protections against assisted suicide, which currently only permit a court to issue an injunction against anyone helping people to kill themselves. The measure was authored by pro-life State Senator Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and worked through the legislature with the help of State Senator Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) and Senate President Keith Faber.
“Ohio Right to Life thanks Governor Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly for vastly expanding protections for human life in 2016,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. “By making assisted suicide a felony, Ohio is taking a strong stand against those who prey on the vulnerable and amplifying our opposition to this horrendous practice.”
With the enactment of this legislation, Ohio will become the fifth state in the last few years to strengthen laws against assisted suicide.
“From conception until natural death, Ohio is leading the way in honoring the dignity of the human person,” said Gonidakis. “Thanks to the pro-life leadership of Governor Kasich, Ohio has just placed a significant obstacle in the path of those wishing to erode and reverse our protections for the elderly and the terminally ill. As a pro-life state with pro-life leadership, we are showing the country how to turn back the tide of assisted suicide and how to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our human family. Thank you, Governor Kasich, for your pro-life leadership.”
Founded in 1967, Ohio Right to Life, with more than 45 chapters and local affiliates, is Ohio’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement in Ohio, ORTL works through legislation and education to promote and defend innocent human life from conception to natural death.