The Ohio Senate approved a bill that would ban sex with animals in the Buckeye State. Senate Bill 195 passed unanimously Wednesday and now heads to the House for further consideration. The bill would prohibit bestiality and allow authorities to seize animals that have been violated. Violators would be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. Read the full legislation here. Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that animal abuse often leads to similar behavior against children and other people. “Data collected by several different researchers show that statistically those engaging in bestiality are at a greater risk to sexually offend against humans,” he wrote. “Detectives while investigating child exploitation commonly find sexual predators in possession of bestiality material. The FBI indicates sexual homicide predators have high rates of sexual assault on animals.” Hottinger also said that Ohio has more than double the national average number of individuals seeking animals on the internet for sexual purposes.

The Ohio Senate approved a bill that would ban sex with animals in the Buckeye State.

Senate Bill 195 passed unanimously Wednesday and now heads to the House for further consideration.


The bill would prohibit bestiality and allow authorities to seize animals that have been violated. Violators would be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.

Read the full legislation here.

Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that animal abuse often leads to similar behavior against children and other people.

“Data collected by several different researchers show that statistically those engaging in bestiality are at a greater risk to sexually offend against humans,” he wrote. “Detectives while investigating child exploitation commonly find sexual predators in possession of bestiality material. The FBI indicates sexual homicide predators have high rates of sexual assault on animals.”

Hottinger also said that Ohio has more than double the national average number of individuals seeking animals on the internet for sexual purposes.

