Abortion rights protesters chant during a session of the Indiana State Senate at the Capitol on July 25, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The legislature considered cutting abortion rights following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Indiana on Friday became the first state in the nation to approve abortion restrictions since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, when the Republican governor quickly signed a near-total ban on the procedure shortly after lawmakers passed it.
The ban, effective September 15, includes some exceptions. Abortion will be allowed in cases of rape and incest, 10 weeks before insemination; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if the fetus is diagnosed with a fatal malformation. Victims of rape and incest will not be required to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an assault, as has been suggested.
Under the bill, abortions could only be performed in hospital-owned hospitals or outpatient centers, meaning all abortion clinics would lose their licenses. A doctor who performs an abortion illegally or fails to file the required reports must also lose a medical license – wording that tightens current Indiana law says a doctor “may” lose his license to practice.
“I am personally most proud of each Hoosier who courageously shared their views in a debate that is unlikely to end anytime soon,” Governor Eric Holcomb said in the statement announcing he had signed the bill. “For my part as your governor, I will continue to keep a headset.”
His approval came after the Senate passed the ban 28-19 and the House raised it to 62-38.
Indiana was one of the earliest Republican-run state legislatures to debate stricter abortion laws after Judgment of the Supreme Court in June removed constitutional protections for the procedure. But this is the first state to pass the ban through both houses, after West Virginia legislators on July 29 passed up the opportunity to become that state.
Pro-Tem Senate President Rodric Bray told reporters after the vote: “Very pleased to get this job done, one of the tougher things we’ve ever done as the House General Assembly. water, at least certainly while I’m here.” “I think this is a huge opportunity and we’ll build on that as we move on from here.”
Senator Sue Glick of LaGrange, who sponsored the bill, said she doesn’t think “all states are going to go down in the same place” but that most Indiana residents support aspects of the bill.
Several senators from both parties lamented the bill’s provisions and its impact on the state, including on low-income women and the health care system. Eight Republicans joined all 11 Democrats in voting against the bill, although their reasons for blocking it were contradictory.
Democratic Senator Jean Breaux of Indianapolis, who wore a green ribbon in support of abortion rights on Friday, said: “We’re slipping on democracy. “What other liberties, what other liberties are lying on the block, waiting to be taken away?”
Republican Senator Mike Bohacek of the Michiana Shores talks about his 21-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome. Bohacek voted against the bill, saying it did not provide adequate protection for disabled women who were raped.
“If she lost her favorite stuffed animal, she wouldn’t be able to deal with it. Imagine making her bring a baby to her period,” he said before starting to choke, after Then he threw his note down on the chair and left the room.
However, Republican Senator Mike Young of Indianapolis said the bill’s enforcement provisions for doctors were not strict enough.
Such debates have demonstrated the divisions among Indiana residents themselves on the issue, as demonstrated by the hours of witness that lawmakers have heard over the past two weeks. Residents rarely expressed support for the law in their testimony, as abortion rights advocates say the bill has gone too far while anti-abortion activists say it does not. go far enough.
The debates come against a backdrop of growing abortion politics around the country as Republicans face some divisions within the party and Democrats see the possibility of intensifying in an election year.
Republican Representative Wendy McNamara of Evansville, who sponsored the House bill, told reporters after the House vote that the legislation “makes Indiana one of the most pro-life states in the world.” nationwide.”
Outside the room, abortion rights activists often chanted the lawmakers’ remarks, carrying signs like “Roe roe roe your vote” and “Build this wall” between church and state. Several House Democrats wore jackets over pink “Bans Off Our Bodies” T-shirts.
Indiana’s ban after the past political firestorm a 10 year old rape victim who came to the state from neighboring Ohio to end her pregnancy. Case get attention when a doctor in Indianapolis said that the child came to Indiana because Ohio’s “fetal heartbeat” ban.
Religion is a persistent topic in legislative debates, both in the testimony of residents and in the opinions of legislators.
In support of the House bill, Representative Ann Vermilion condemned Republicans for calling women “murderers” for having abortions.
“I think God’s promises are for grace and kindness,” she said. “He will not condemn these women.”
