02-04-2025
Young Democrats: Senate Bill 1 reduces Ohio universities to propaganda machines
Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 1 into law on March 28 − legislation threatening to stifle free speech at Ohio's public universities. Starting June 26, this law will penalize professors and administrators who teach "controversial beliefs or policies." This vague and sweeping bill doesn't clearly define a "controversial belief," leaving professors at risk of punishment for teaching basic facts and engaging in open academic discussions.
The bill's lack of specificity isn't a mistake. It's a deliberate effort to control what can be taught at Ohio's universities. By branding broad topics as "controversial," the law forces professors to censor their lessons to avoid legal consequences. This creates an environment where open inquiry and debate are stifled, and students are deprived of a full, nuanced education.
More: Senate Bill 1 bans students from learning views other than state-approved ones | Opinion
This is not just an abstract concern. History shows us how censorship and control of education can lead to dangerous consequences. The famous poem "First They Came" by Martin Niemöller reminds us how small, incremental attacks on free expression can spiral into widespread repression. Once one topic is deemed off-limits, others follow, and soon, universities are reduced to mere propaganda machines instead of places of critical thought.
With SB 1 about to take effect, Ohio's universities risk losing their role as institutions of open dialogue and critical thinking. Students will be deprived of opportunities to engage with diverse ideas, and professors will be forced to teach to a narrow, politically driven agenda. SB 1 is a betrayal of Ohio's students, faculty, and future. This state deserves better. We deserve truth, not censorship and propaganda.
Storm Boyd is president of the Hamilton County Young Democrats. He is also the chairman of Equality Cincinnati.
Gov. Mike DeWine's signature on Senate Bill 1 didn't just gut higher education, it put lives on the line. This bill forces Ohio's medical schools to censor critical information, leaving future doctors unprepared to save lives. While lawmakers included a loophole allowing medical schools to seek exemptions to keep accreditation, they'll only receive the bare minimum, and even that will be warped by political interference.
Young medical students will graduate with dangerous gaps in knowledge. Topics such as vaccine effectiveness, reproductive health, and systemic inequalities will be deemed too "controversial" to teach. Imagine trusting a doctor who wasn't allowed to fully learn about vaccines or a physician who never learned the horrifying history behind how women were excluded from clinical trials from 1977 to 1993, leaving dangerous gaps in how medications affect half the population. We're only now starting to close that gap, but SB 1 will reopen it.
As a trained biomedical engineer, I've seen firsthand how when science becomes politicized, it is our most vulnerable who get the most hurt. Science cannot and should not be political.
More: I wanted to stay in Ohio for law school, but Senate Bill 1 drove me away | Letters
This law doesn't just hurt students − it will cost lives. Future doctors will be forced to practice with incomplete knowledge, and young patients, especially women and those from marginalized communities, will pay the price. Ohio is creating a generation of doctors who will be shackled by politics instead of being led by science.
Young people deserve better. We deserve doctors and scientists who are taught to save lives, not trained to walk on eggshells. Senate Bill 1 is a disaster, and Ohio cannot afford the consequences.
Laalitya Acharya lives in Mason and is the president of Warren County Young Democrats.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Senate Bill 1 is a betrayal of Ohio's students and faculty | Opinion
