opinion

Editorial: Bestiality is legal in Ohio. Ban it

Don't cringe. Nobody wants to talk about bestiality, so let's not. Instead, let's talk about the law banning the practice in Ohio.

Shockingly, there isn't one. Ohio is somehow one of 11 states without a law specifically against sexually abusing animals.

State Sen. Jim Hughes, a Columbus-area Republican, aims to change that. He's pushing legislation that would give prosecutors tools to deal with animals rapists. A first offense would be a misdemeanor and require psychological evaluation. A second offense would be a felony. Hughes, a one-time Franklin County assistant prosecutor, said he was frustrated to realize there were no laws on the books to deal with bestiality.

We're not aware of a pro-bestiality lobby at the Statehouse. But in case you needed a defense for Hughes bill, it goes like this: Animals cannot consent to such activity, so it should be considered abuse. Bestiality can harm animals, and it can harm humans. However, current animal abuse laws aren't always useful to respond to bestiality (think no testimony, no evidence of assault), and don't require psychological assistance for the offender. Hughes' legislation fits the bill.

Hughes proposed similar legislation in 2011, but it didn't get anywhere, probably because it was lost amid bigger legislative priorities at the time, such as sentencing reform. Hughes proposed the measure as an amendment to the omnibus budget bill revealed this week, but it didn't make it. He has vowed to introduce a bestiality ban as standalone legislation.

Lawmakers elsewhere often struggle with such bills. To use a technical term for discussion of such matters, it's icky. That in itself should make the case for a ban on bestiality. If the behavior is so repulsive, why is it legal? Does Ohio want to be known as a safe haven for such animal abuse? Legislative leaders should move Hughes' bill along, and his fellow lawmakers should approve it.

In recent years, it has taken outrageous bestiality cases – cases prosecutors couldn't address without laws on the books – to spur legislation in other states to ban the practice. Ohio shouldn't be forced to play a similar game of catch-up on such a clear-cut matter.