Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
An expansive and controversial bill on its way to Gov. Mike Pence's desk seeks to set more restrictions on abortion in the state — already one of the most restrictive in the nation. Wochit
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence delivers his State of the State address Jan 12, 2016, in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.(Photo: Matt Kryger, The Indianapolis Star)
INDIANAPOLIS<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Indiana's governor signed into law Thursday an expansion of the state’s abortion restrictions,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a divisive issue that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>once again has placed the state under national scrutiny.
Gov. Mike Pence, a social conservative with a long track record of opposing abortion, described the new restrictions as a “comprehensive pro-life measure that affirms the value of all human life.”
The measure, House Enrolled Act<span style="color: Red;">*</span>1337, makes Indiana only the second state to prohibit a woman from seeking an abortion because her fetus was diagnosed with a disability<span style="color: Red;">*</span>such as Down syndrome. It also prohibits abortions when they are sought based on the gender or race of a fetus<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and requires the remains of miscarried or aborted fetuses to be interred or cremated.
The proposal has incited heated rhetoric from those on both sides of the issue and is almost certain to face legal challenges. Indiana already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
USA TODAY
Supreme Court deeply divided over religious freedom, reproductive rights
Supporters say it will protect unborn babies who can’t protect themselves. Opponents say it’s an effort to increase abortion costs and shame women for using a legal medical procedure.
But questions remain about whether the bill will have much of a practical effect on the decisions women make or on Indiana's abortion rate, which has declined 20% in the past five years and is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>below the national average.
“My read on this is a lot of this is for political purposes.”
Paul Helmke, Indiana University
Pence, a social conservative who set off a national firestorm last year when he signed the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was widely expected to sign the anti-abortion legislation<span style="color: Red;">*</span>though he didn't announce<span style="color: Red;">*</span>his intentions. He had to make a decision Thursday or the bill would have become law without his signature.
He consistently has<span style="color: Red;">*</span>supported new abortion restrictions in the past and needs his conservative base to turn out this fall in what is expected to be a hotly contested rematch of his 2012 race against Democrat John Gregg.
"Gov. Pence has long been a champion for the unborn and their mothers," Mike Fichter, president of Indiana Right to Life, said before the signing. "We expect his actions on HEA 1337 will be another measure of that commitment."
The measure also is important to many Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>not only because of their deeply held beliefs on the issue. Many of the measure’s key supporters are facing primary challenges from social conservatives or are running for Congress in contested primaries, where voters often put a premium on anti-abortion credentials.
USA TODAY
Abortion war in Texas tests high court standard
“My read on this is a lot of this is for political purposes,” said Paul Helmke, an Indiana University civics professor and former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind.
“Still, there’s a lot of strongly pro-life elected officials in the legislature," he said. "I think a lot of them feel that no abortion should be allowed at all, so anything that makes it harder to get an abortion,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>they’re going to vote for.”
Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute speaks against bills on LGBT civil rights and religious freedom during a hearing Jan. 27, 2016, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Michael Conroy, AP)
Even social conservatives, who defended the measure as good public policy, agree that election-year politics likely played a role in the bill's passage.
“Well, it’s an election year, and Indiana is very pro-life, and our General Assembly is very pro-life," said Curt Smith, president of the Indiana Family Institute. "That may be a factor."
The measure has stirred strong passions, both inside and outside the state.
"This legislation is being watched very closely by a wide variety of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>constituencies, not just in Indiana, but across the country,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said Patti Stauffer, vice president for public policy for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.
She contends that the measure will chill open and honest dialogue between women and their physicians.
"It really does stigmatize and marginalize women who may be considering an abortion," she said. "It’s shaming and judging."
State Sen. Jean Breaux, an Indianapolis Democrat, went as far as to call<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the measure "emotional terrorism."
But supporters of the bill,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>including Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma of Indianapolis, have said the measure is worth it if it saves just one life.
USA TODAY
Kentucky gov sues Planned Parenthood over abortions
“I think to have a child ripped apart in the womb is terrorism," said Smith of the Indiana Family Institute.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"That’s the only form of terrorism I see in this debate."
Despite the fiery nature<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of the discourse, it's unclear how the law will play out in real life. The proposed ban on abortions will apply only when the sole reason for seeking the procedure is because<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the fetus may have a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>disability or is of a certain gender, race,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>color, national origin or<span style="color: Red;">*</span>ancestry.
“I think to have a child ripped apart in the womb is terrorism. That’s the only form of terrorism I see in this debate.”
Curt Smith, Indiana Family Institute
Beth Cate, a public policy professor at<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Indiana University, questioned whether<span style="color: Red;">*</span>doctors will be left to infer a woman’s reasons for seeking an abortion<span style="color: Red;">*</span>based on her medical questions.
How do you know the reason a woman is seeking an abortion unless she explicitly states it<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>or does the doctor try<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to read her mind? she asked.
How the law will work in practice is a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>concern for many women.
Several<span style="color: Red;">*</span>female Republican lawmakers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>described themselves as strong<span style="color: Red;">*</span>abortion opponents spoke out against the measure on the House floor, saying its restrictions went too far or were not properly vetted. Other women have said the measure feels intrusive.
Abby Hunt of Indianapolis has three healthy children and was delighted when a few months ago she became pregnant with her fourth. But in February, at the end of her first trimester, she miscarried.
USA TODAY
Woman charged with attempted murder for failed coat hanger abortion
Follow-up tests determined that a significant problem had led to the miscarriage. About the same time, she heard about the legislative discussions on this issue.
Now, she doesn’t know whether she will try to get pregnant again, afraid that if she does, she might not be able to have open, painful discussions with her doctor if problems arise.
“This just made me so mad. I feel like it butted into my very personal and hard decision-making process.”
Abby Hunt, Indianapolis
“This just made me so mad. I feel like it butted into my very personal and hard decision-making process,” Hunt said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“I’m just so upset by this. I just think that it’s the wrong approach.”
How women perceive the measure could play a role in the gubernatorial race.
The November election could<span style="color: Red;">*</span>be tight for Pence, who already alienated some Republican business leaders amid the uproar over Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and concerns that it may have allowed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>discrimination<span style="color: Red;">*</span>against gay and transgender Hoosiers.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Now, the abortion bill could weaken Pence with suburban Republican women — another critical voting bloc.
"Did this bill go maybe a step too far<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and might it cause some voters to actually think less of the people who advanced it?" said Robert Dion, a political scientist at the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>University of Evansville.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"You never know. But my goodness, when a handful of Republican women vote against the party's legislative package, that's a telling sign."
Contributing:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Stephanie Wang. Follow Chelsea Schneider, Tony Cook and Shari Rudavsky<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on Twitter:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@IndyStarChelsea,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@indystartony<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>@srudavsky
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed