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Sunday, February 20, 2011
Ind. Law - "Statehouse bills create significant abortion restrictions"
Heather Gillers reported Feb. 18th in the Indianapolis Star in a lengthy story that began:
Three bills that would make Indiana's abortion laws among some of the strictest in the nation moved forward Thursday in a clear display of how much clout social conservatives have gained in the General Assembly."Hopefully it will make Indiana one of the most pro-life states in the United States," said Rep. Eric Turner, whose bill cleared the Public Policy Committee and now goes to the overwhelmingly Republican House for a vote. Other lawmakers already have rushed to put their names on it, leaving the bill with a list of about 50 sponsors.
"I'm pleased," said Turner, R-Marion. "We've not been able for the last four years to move significant pro-life legislation."
Turner's measure would make abortions illegal after 20 weeks except to preserve the life of the woman. It also would require women seeking abortions to listen to a laundry list of risks whose scientific accuracy critics have questioned and require doctors performing abortions to tell patients that a fetus could feel pain. The Indiana State Department of Health also would be required to publish a pamphlet with some of that information.
A separate bill -- Senate Bill 328 -- which contained similar provisions, advanced to the Senate floor a few hours later.
And House Bill 1205, approved by the Public Policy Committee, would prevent Planned Parenthood of Indiana from receiving federal Medicaid dollars -- even though that funding goes to reproductive health-care services such as birth control and cervical cancer screenings, not to abortions.
Democrats and abortion-rights advocates looked stunned during testimony on the House measures. Two Democratic lawmakers stormed out of the committee room when Turner's proposal, HB 1210, passed 8-4, after a series of testimonials that critics said were based more on religion than science.
"What's happening is they're making women second-class citizens, trying to roll back to the time when women didn't have rights," said Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, who walked out of the hearing with Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond. "I couldn't listen anymore."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 20, 2011 06:10 PM
Posted to Indiana Law