Senate bill 195 would:
* Prohibit a person from engaging in sexual conduct with an animal and related acts;
* Provide for the seizure and impoundment of an animal that is the subject of a violation;
* Authorize a sentencing court to require an offender to undergo psychological evaluation or counseling.
Ohio is one of just a handful of states that doesn’t have an actual law outlawing bestiality on the books.
“I think this is something that is sickening and perverse and we don’t want Ohio to be the place you can come and have sex with an animal,” state Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Upper Arlington, said in an earlier interview.
The bill has gained the support of a variety of animal welfare groups, including the Humane Society of the United States.
“This is a form of animal abuse. There are animals that get severely injured in these horrific acts,” said John Goodwin, director of animal cruelty policy at the Humane Society of the United States.
In urban areas the sexually abused animals are typically dogs, while in more rural locations horses, sheep and donkeys are also abused, Goodwin said.
Places where bestiality is legal in the U.S.:
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Kentucky
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Ohio
Texas
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming
Source: Human Society of the United States
