Republican Governor Calls For Death Penalty Abolition
In a press conference on June 16, 2026, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio declared that "The moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.” He went into great detail (in the first 20 minutes) to make the case: it doesn’t deter; the victims’ families suffer with the unavoidable delays; it traumatizes the execution team members, etc.
Some find this surprising from a former prosecutor who in 1981 introduced state legislation to re-introduce the death penalty in Ohio, and pushed for specific executions as Ohio attorney general.
He said he realized executions aren’t a deterrent because of the lengthy years-long delays and the low odds of executions happening for individual cases. He says, "For the state to take a human life there must . . . be evidence that in doing so it will help protect the public."
See our Open Letter to Governor Stitt: the Pro-life Case against the Death Penalty, published as a blog post, to the then governor of Oklahoma.
Remembering Robert Coles (1928-2026)
The celebrated writer and child psychiatrist Robert Coles died on June 4. Coles’ work had points in common with the Consistent Life Ethic. Working in the American South in the mid-20th century, he wrote a book, Children of Crisis, that profiled an array of people, Black and White, involved in the era’s Civil Rights struggles. Coles wrote further works chronicling the lives of people affected by poverty and racism.
Coles also criticized abortion, once writing “I believe . . . that abortion willfully terminates a life.” More broadly, he expressed frustration with the limited options offered by the US political system. In contrast, he admired the radical ministry of Dorothy Day, about whom he also wrote.
For those who would like to thank Governor DeWine and ask him to commute all death sentences before leaving office, especially if you’re in Ohio or have friend in Ohio you can talk into doing it, a one-page postal letter is most effective. The postal address is:
Governor Mike DeWine
30th Floor, Riffe Center
77 S High St.
Columbus, OH 43215-6117
He called on the legislature "to take action.” That would be bills HB101 & SB259, currently in committee. Those who live in Ohio can click here to send an updated letter to your Ohio legislators.
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Quote of the Week
Robert Coles
"On Abortion." New Oxford Review, October 1983
An abortion, then, is not only an utter tragedy but an affront to the Lord—as is all death which mankind visits upon itself, sometimes with the indifference or tragic acquiescence of our various churches: wars, the infant mortality that goes with poverty, the killing diseases that millions and millions of suffering, vulnerable children (and their parents) have to take for granted as inevitable because there is no work, inadequate food, no medical care of any consequence.