COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOWO) — A failed lethal injection execution in Tennessee is renewing questions about the future of capital punishment in Ohio, where lawmakers remain divided over whether to maintain the death penalty, adopt an alternative execution method or abolish it altogether.

Christa Pike, a convicted Tennessee murderer, remained hospitalized after two attempts to execute her by lethal injection failed, putting renewed attention on the challenges states face in obtaining execution drugs and carrying out lethal injections.

The case also highlights a longstanding issue in Ohio, where lethal injection is currently the state’s only authorized method of execution according to WCMH.

Gov. Mike DeWine has kept executions on hold during his administration, saying pharmaceutical companies have threatened to stop supplying Ohio with other medications if their products are used in executions.

DeWine has also said he no longer believes the death penalty serves as an effective deterrent to violent crime and has said he believes capital punishment should be abolished.

Not all Republican lawmakers agree.

House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, has said he would “vigorously oppose” efforts to abolish Ohio’s death penalty.

Other lawmakers who support capital punishment have proposed giving the state another option if it cannot obtain the drugs required for lethal injection. Legislation has been introduced that would allow Ohio to use nitrogen gas as an alternative execution method.

The debate has also drawn opposition from some Republicans, including Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon.

Mathews is a co-sponsor of House Bill 72, which would prohibit Ohio from purchasing lethal injection drugs and effectively end capital punishment in the state.

Mathews said his opposition is rooted in his broader belief that the government should not be responsible for intentionally ending a person’s life.

“The state should not be in the business of administering death, whether that’s for the unborn, for euthanasia, or for those that have done, in this case, horrendous crimes,” Mathews said.

Mathews said the failed Tennessee execution demonstrates the possibility of government error, while emphasizing that opposing the death penalty does not diminish the seriousness of the crimes committed by people sentenced to death.

“Being pro-life means that you are there for every type of life,” Mathews said. “Those crimes are no less crimes; the damage is no less done on the rest of society. Once you have brought someone into jail, the state should not be in the business of executing these people.”

Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, was in Tennessee when news of the failed execution broke. He described the circumstances as “sickening.”

The issue could become part of a larger debate in the Ohio House, where Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, serves on the House Judiciary Committee.

Piccolantonio said the Tennessee case demonstrates some of the complications involved with lethal injection and said Ohio needs to have another discussion about the future of capital punishment.

“I cannot even imagine what played out when they tried to implement the death penalty for her,” Piccolantonio said. “Times change, information changes, we are always learning more and, in my opinion, it is time for another conversation about whether or not that is an appropriate way to deal with incredibly complicated situations.”

Ohio has not carried out an execution since 2018. The state has faced repeated difficulties scheduling executions, including problems obtaining lethal injection drugs and legal challenges involving execution procedures.

Those challenges have left Ohio with a death penalty system that remains on the books but has not been actively carried out in years.

The issue is also emerging as candidates for Ohio governor stake out positions on capital punishment.

A spokesperson for Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said the campaign considers what happened in Tennessee unacceptable and said Ramaswamy supports the death penalty in the most serious cases, provided defendants receive appropriate due process.

The campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton did not respond to a request for comment about the Tennessee execution. Acton said in June that she would uphold Ohio law and respect the state’s existing moratorium.

The debate leaves Ohio lawmakers facing competing proposals as they consider the state’s next steps on capital punishment.

One side is pushing for alternatives that could allow executions to continue if lethal injection drugs become unavailable. Another group of lawmakers wants to end the death penalty altogether.

For now, lethal injection remains Ohio’s authorized execution method, while the state continues its de facto pause on carrying out death sentences.