Hard to believe, but bestiality — sex between a human and an animal — is not illegal in Ohio.

Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, who tried unsuccessfully to pass a stand-alone anti-bestiality law in 2011, is taking a different approach this time by submitting it as an amendment to the state operating budget.

If Hughes’ proposal is approved, Ohio would join 30 states which make human-animal sexual contact illegal.

“This is sick, perverse, deviant behavior,” Hughes said. “We should not allow this in a civilized society.”

“To me it’s shocking Ohio is one of the minority of states that does not makes this illegal.”

Hughes said he saw evidence of disturbing instances of bestiality when he was an assistant Franklin County prosecutor.

Any discussion of the subject is embarrassing, which may be why a law already hasn’t been passed, said Corey Roscoe, Ohio director of the Humane Society of the U.S., which is lobbying for Hughes’ amendment, along with nearly a dozen other animal-welfare organizations.

“It’s not illegal. Nothing in Ohio law expressly forbids sex with an animal,” Roscoe said. “ But we don’t often hear about these cases unless it’s coupled with other crimes.”

That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, Roscoe said, pointing to an online bestiality forum which has 50 pages of notices and ads from Ohioans who are either participating or interested in the subject.

Law enforcement officials prosecuted a Richland County man in 2011 when he adopted a dog from an animal shelter so he could have sex with it.

Roscoe said state law does prohibit animal cruelty but that can be hard to prove in sex cases.

Hughes’ amendment would make it illegal for anyone to have sex with “a nonhuman mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, either dead or alive.” It offers specific and graphic language about what sexual contact means in such cases.

Violators would face increasing penalties, depending on the number of offenses, from a minor misdemeanor, punishable by a $150 fine, up to a fifth-degree felony, with carries a fine up to $2,500 and a year in jail. Offenders could also be forced to undergo psychological counseling and have their animals seized and sold.

The Senate is scheduled to act on budget amendments in the next two weeks. Hughes said he will submit another standalone bill if his amendment doesn’t survive the budget process.

———

By Alan Johnson - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio (TNS)

©2015 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)

Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.