The bill’s passage came just three days after voters in Kansas, another conservative Midwestern state, overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have removed protections for abortion rights from their state constitution, a result seen nationally as indication of discomfort with abortion bans. And it came despite some Indiana Republicans opposing the over-traffic bill and others voting no because of its exemptions. The end of Roe was the culmination of decades of work by conservatives, opening the door for states to severely restrict abortions or ban them altogether. Some states prepared in advance with abortion bans brought on by the fall of Egg Cod. Lawmakers in other conservative states said they would consider more restrictions. But, at least in the first few weeks after that decision, Republicans have been slow to move and have struggled to speak with one voice about what comes next. Lawmakers in South Carolina and West Virginia have weighed but not taken final action on the proposed bans. Officials in Iowa, Florida, Nebraska and other conservative states have so far taken no legislative action. And especially in recent weeks, some Republican politicians have recalibrated their messaging on the issue. “West Virginia tried it and they came off the ledge. Kansas tried it and the voters flatly rejected it,” state Rep. Justin Moedt, D-Indianapolis, said on the House floor before voting against the bill. “Why that? Because until now it was just a theory. It was easy for people to say they were pro-life. It was easy to see things in such black and white. But now, that theory has become a reality and the consequences of the views are more real ». Indiana’s bill — which bans abortion from conception except in certain cases of rape, incest, a fatal fetal abnormality or when the pregnant woman faces death or serious health risks — now goes to Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican who encouraged lawmakers to consider new abortion limits during a special session he called. Beyond those limited exceptions, the bill would end legal abortions in Indiana next month if signed by the governor. The procedure is currently allowed up to the 22nd week of pregnancy. “If that’s not a government issue — protecting life — I don’t know what is,” said Representative John Young, a Republican who sponsored the bill. He added: “I know the exemptions are not enough for some and too many for others, but it’s a good balance.” The passage of the bill came after two weeks of emotional testimony and bitter debate in the State House. Although Republicans hold commanding majorities in both chambers, the bill’s fate has not always looked certain. When a Senate committee reviewed an initial version of the bill last week, no one came forward to support it: The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana called it a “cruel, dangerous bill,” Indiana Right to Life described it as “weak and alarming,” and a parade of residents with differing views on abortion urged all lawmakers to reject it. Abortion rights protesters were a regular presence at the State House during the session, sometimes chanting “Let’s vote!” or “Church and State!” so loud from across the aisle that it could be hard to hear lawmakers. Several Democrats cited the Kansas vote, in which 59 percent of voters decided to preserve abortion rights, as an example of the political risk Republicans were taking. Democrats proposed putting the issue to a nonbinding statewide vote in Indiana, which Republicans rejected.
More coverage of the Kansas abortion vote
“Judging by the results I saw in Kansas the other day,” said Representative Phil GiaQuinta, a Democrat who opposed the Indiana bill, “independents, Democrats and Republicans with their votes have shown what’s most important to them and to me, and that it is our personal liberties and freedom.” Todd Houston, the Republican speaker of the Indiana House, said he was satisfied with the final version of the bill. But when asked about the protests in Indianapolis and the vote in Kansas, he acknowledged that many disagreed. “We’ve talked about the fact that voters have an opportunity to vote, and if they’re unhappy, they’ll have that opportunity both in November and in years to come,” Mr Houston said. Democrats warned of the consequences of passing the bill and noted the state’s status as the first to do so in a post-Roe America. Business leaders voiced concern before its passage: The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce urged the Legislature this week not to pass the bill, saying it could threaten public health and the state’s business interests. State Sen. Eddie D. Melton, a Democrat who represents parts of northwest Indiana, spoke out against the bill on the Senate floor Friday, calling it a rushed process and a power grab. He reminded Republicans of the resounding vote in Kansas this week in favor of abortion rights, a warning to Indiana lawmakers that the party could face a voter backlash. “If this passes, the only referendum left is in November,” he said. Jennifer Drobac, a law professor at Indiana University Bloomington, said she was concerned about the speed with which the bill passed in her state and the relatively short window for the public to discuss its implications. “Law made in haste is often bad law,” he said. “This highlights the fact that these guys don’t foresee how unenforceable this legislation is going to be. This will affect thousands of people who will become pregnant in Indiana alone.” Divisions within the Republican Party surfaced repeatedly during the session. Representative Ann Vermilion described herself as a proud Republican. But he said he thinks the legislation went too far, too fast. “The US Supreme Court’s decision to move abortion rights to the state level has peeled back an onion in the details of abortion, revealing layers and layers of such a difficult subject that I myself was unprepared for.” Ms. Vermillion said before voting against the bill. Other Republicans echoed complaints voiced during public testimony by anti-abortion residents, advocacy groups and religious leaders. They questioned how lawmakers who presented themselves to voters as staunch opponents of abortion are now giving up the chance to pass a ban without exceptions for rape and incest. Some abortion opponents have argued that rape and incest, while traumatic, do not justify ending the life of a fetus that had no control over its conception. “This bill vindicates the wicked, those who kill babies, and punishes the righteous, the preborn human,” said Rep. John Jacobs, a Republican who also voted against the bill. He added: “Republicans campaigned on being pro-life. Pro-life means for life. It’s not just some lives. That means all lives.” Similar debates took place in West Virginia, where the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban nearly all abortions. But controversy erupted when the Senate decided to remove criminal penalties for doctors who perform illegal abortions, citing fears it could worsen the state’s existing health worker shortage. Legislation has stalled. Representative Danielle Walker, D-West Virginia, said she believed the Kansas abortion referendum was a wake-up call for the more moderate section of Republican lawmakers. “I think they see that people are going to the polls because people don’t want this, people don’t support it,” Ms Walker said. Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, said Indiana offered a glimpse of the dynamic that could deepen in other legislatures in the coming weeks: the difficulty of satisfying their conservative base against in other public opposition to abortion restrictions. “In Indiana, lawmakers are now between a rock and a hard place,” he said. “They’re between their base,” which demands that abortion be banned without exception, “and members of the public who say, ‘We support access to abortion.’ You can see how legislators, balancing people’s rights, also see the next election.” Ava Sasani contributed reporting.
