Firing squad shot down as additional execution method in Indiana
The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) is hailing positive developments at the midpoint of the legislative session, including the rejection of a push to introduce execution by firing squad as a means of capital punishment.
Following impassioned debate on the House floor, a bill that would have added this controversial method of carrying out the death penalty in Indiana was defeated in a close vote. Rep. Bob Morris (R-Fort Wayne), a Catholic lawmaker who last year introduced legislation to abolish the death penalty altogether, was among those appealing to his colleagues to vote no on House Bill 1119.
“We have executed people in this country wrongfully,” Rep. Morris told his fellow House members before their vote on Jan. 28. “One thing is for certain: You will never bring that life back when it is gone.”
Calling execution by firing squad inhumane and the effort to bring this method to Indiana “taking a step backwards,” Rep. Morris called for a renewed look at capital punishment in the Hoosier state. Currently, only lethal injection is allowed by law to carry out the death penalty, although lawmakers backing House Bill 1119 argued that the high cost of the drugs involved as well as supply issues have created the need for alternate methods.
“I’m against every means of capital punishment until this body can debate it,” Rep. Morris said. “Stand here and tell me the best way to execute a life. I’m a pro-life legislator, and I know many of you are as well. Vote this down and let’s start the discussion on capital punishment.”
House Bill 1119, authored by Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour), was rejected on a narrow 48-46 vote, failing to reach the 51 votes needed for constitutional majority. An earlier version of the bill had also proposed nitrogen hypoxia – lethal gas – as an additional method of execution for Indiana, but that portion had been amended out before the final House vote.
Prior to the vote on the House floor, Rep. Morris had been joined at the podium by other lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle calling for the bill to be rejected.
“There was some really heartening movement of the Holy Spirit as this debate was happening and moving people’s hearts,” said Alexander Mingus, executive director of the ICC, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana. “Even those we know are supportive of the death penalty conceptually said that the firing squad is not the way to go.”
The ICC had strongly objected to the bill throughout the first half of the legislative session, along with a similar measure in the Senate that never received a vote.
Now that the Indiana General Assembly has reached its midpoint, known as crossover, bills that are still active move from one legislative chamber to another. Another death penalty-related measure – House Bill 1432 – passed unanimously on a 96-0 vote and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
That bill, which the ICC supports, creates a framework to screen out anyone with a defined intellectual disability from being eligible for the death penalty.
Another pro-life measure that is moving forward is Senate Bill 236, which passed out of the Senate along a 39-10 party-line vote and has been referred to the House Committee on Public Health. The bill, authored by Sen. Tyler Johnson (R-Leo), would place tight restrictions on the use of abortion-inducing medications in Indiana, prohibiting their distribution or mailing in most circumstances.
Sen. Johnson, an emergency room physician, spoke of the dangers of these medications during Senate testimony in January. His bill also would allow for civil actions to be brought against manufacturers or distributors of abortion medications for what a plaintiff would consider personal injury or wrongful death from the use of the drugs.
The ICC supports the direction of Senate Bill 236 and will continue to monitor its progress.
Legislation related to the dignity of the human person is always of utmost importance to the ICC, which represents the five Catholic bishops of Indiana in the public arena. Therefore, the ICC is tracking Senate Bill 285, which is another attempt at prohibiting homeless encampments across the state.
Under the bill, law enforcement officials first encountering individuals sleeping or camping on public property would issue a warning and offer to connect them with local shelters and other resources. Repeat violations could result in a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a standard fine of $500 or up to 60 days in jail.
Opponents call the measure a means to criminalize homelessness. But Sen. Cyndi Carrasco (R-Indianapolis), the Catholic lawmaker who authored the bill, says the intent is to “create a moment where outreach, diversion and connection to services can occur, and to move individuals to a healthier and more stable life.”
The bill passed on a 29-19 vote on the Senate floor Jan. 28 and now awaits further action in the House.
“This is something that we will monitor and continue to talk to people about as it moves to the House side,” said Roarke LaCoursiere, associate director of the ICC. “We will continue to discern what is going to be best for our brothers and sisters who are chronically homeless and whom this bill will affect across the state of Indiana.”
Another effort aimed at providing adequate housing for vulnerable Hoosiers has moved from the House to the Senate for consideration. House Bill 1001, a significant housing affordability measure, includes a provision that would streamline zoning to allow religious entities to build affordable housing on church property.
The ICC supports the measure, which falls under the growing “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) movement nationwide. YIGBY efforts encourage churches and other faith-based institutions to use their underutilized land or current structures to create dignified, attainable housing for low- and moderate-income households. They are a counterpoint to more restrictive zoning practices often labeled as “Not in My Backyard” (NIMBY).
“We are happy to see this effort move forward in the legislature,” Mingus said. “We hope it will be one piece to solving the broader puzzle of housing affordability across our state.”
Another issue of interest to the ICC and many of its allies for years – restricting access to social media for children and teens – hit a roadblock in this year’s General Assembly. Language that would have prohibited anyone in Indiana younger than 14 to have a social media account and anyone between age 14 and 18 to have parental consent was removed from a broader education measure, Senate Bill 199.
Mingus said that he believes there is strong bipartisan support for efforts like these despite this year’s outcome.
“The question is how to get it done,” he said. “But we are very supportive of getting this across the finish line one day.”
In addition, the ICC is following Senate Bill 182, which aims to define gender in state statute as male or female. The measure passed the Senate and is now under consideration in the House.
“Conceptually, it’s something we are supportive of because it aligns with our God-given understanding of our Christian anthropology,” Mingus said.
This is a short, non-budget-year session of the Indiana General Assembly, made even shorter by the legislature convening a month early in December to consider redrawing the state’s congressional maps – an effort that stalled. The legislative session is set to conclude by the end of February.
“We are grateful for the many positive developments in this session that advance the dignity of the human person and protect the common good,” Mingus said. “We will continue to monitor and oppose those bills that do not align with those principles.”