IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kaitlin Lange explains the proposed abortion ban and other details about the special session that begins July 25. Mykal McEldowney, Indianapolis Star Over protests from most doctors, every major medical association, thousands of women who descended on the State House this week and 10 of its own members, Indiana Senate Republicans narrowly voted Saturday to ban nearly all abortions in the state. Saturday’s vote puts Indiana on track to become one of the first states in the nation to vote on new abortion restrictions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that protected women’s right to abortion for 50 years. A majority of Senate Republicans supported the controversial measure, despite concerns from some on the far right of the caucus that it does not go far enough to restrict abortions and concerns from more moderate Republicans that the zero-week ban is too strict. They voted to pass the bill with the fewest yes votes needed, 26-20, with no support from Democrats. Republicans who voted against the measure were divided. Some, like Sens. Kyle Walker and Veneta Becker, said the bill was too restrictive. Others, like Indianapolis Sen. Michael Young, voted against the measure because it didn’t go far enough. Sen. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, said the bill “looks very much like an attack on women’s lives.” More in state legislation: Indiana lawmakers make progress on bills for women and children. “It’s not enough,” say the critics. “In Indiana history, this is going to be a bad day,” Breaux said. “There are some in this room who are happy about what we are doing today. However, I bow my head in shame and sorrow and pray that this regressive and cruel policy does not become law in Indiana.” While lawmakers debated the proposal for three hours, protesters just outside the chamber kept up almost constant chants and chants that at times drowned out senators at the microphone. Dee Harding, a 23-year-old resident of Indianapolis, was among that group. The hard thought that Saturday could make all the difference. “I think there was a little part of my brain all this time that thought there was a chance we might change our minds today,” they said, “that thought there was a chance that seeing the people, the faces of those who would discriminate against them, it would do something to them, maybe stir something in their hearts.’ After the vote, Harding was one of many protesters who broke down in tears. “It wasn’t shocking,” they said, “but it was horrifying.” As passed, Senate Bill 1 bans all abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. Exemptions for rape and incest only apply within the first 12 weeks for girls 15 or younger and the first eight weeks for pregnant girls and women 16 or older. Earlier in the week, 18 Republicans voted to remove exemptions for rape and incest — an effort that ultimately failed. The Senate debated amendments to the bill for five hours after midnight Thursday, also rejecting an effort backed by some moderate Republicans and Democrats to extend the number of weeks to legalize abortion to 20 in cases of rape and another that would have had thrown the whole issue of abortion to the voters in a referendum. Of the 18 who voted to remove the rape and incest exemptions, 12 supported the bill on Saturday anyway. Several Republicans said they were voting for the bill to continue the process, but hoped to see it improve in the House. As the votes were counted, protesters inside and outside the hall chanted “shame”. If the atmosphere outside the room was seething with anger, rage and disbelief – and it was. The young man had to be led into the corridors as protesters shouted and chased him – there was a frozen tension in the room. Even the sharp rap of Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch’s gavel couldn’t break it. In her role as Senate president, Crouch reprimanded audience members in the gallery for rude commentary and occasional sarcastic laughter. Senate rules would have kept the gallery silent. The chamber’s usual stern worldview has withered this week as those lawmakers more firmly entrenched in their positions try to bend even toward respectful dissent. Speaker Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, admitted after the vote that members were “pitching against each other” but that he was working on “a very difficult bill.” Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, one of the chamber’s most staunchly anti-abortion members, threw papers at her desk after a heated exchange with a colleague over votes on past abortion-related legislation . A few minutes later, Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, shouted questions to his colleagues across the aisle. “What happened to the Republican Party that I valued and respected?” he said. All but derailed by infighting, Senate Republicans are now sending the bill to the House, which is expected to take up the matter on Monday. Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, the bill’s author, said she expects the bill to change in the House. During Saturday’s debate, he encouraged senators to vote in favor of the bill to continue moving through the legislative process. When asked by a fellow lawmaker if she was happy with the bill, Glick said, “Not really.”
Indiana Right to Life believes the bill is too weak
No one seems particularly happy with the bill. Indiana Right to Life issued a statement Friday, ahead of the vote, saying it opposes SB 1 because it doesn’t go far enough to restrict abortions. The anti-abortion group is concerned that what it sees as vague language allowing an exception when a pregnant woman’s life is at risk could be “easily exploited to cover most abortions.” After Saturday’s vote, the group said it hoped its concerns about broad exemptions would be rectified in the House. While Indiana Right to Life opposes the bill because it doesn’t go far enough, many medical associations have supported protecting the right to access abortion as health care. Julie Reed, executive vice president of the Indiana State Medical Association, issued a statement Friday opposing the bill and what she sees as its detrimental impact on doctors and patients. “Most Hoosi patients and their doctors deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Reed said. Protests against bill: Neither side happy with India’s proposed abortion bill as hundreds register to testify
Democrats dispute the quick timeline
Democrats chided Glick and her fellow Republicans for moving so quickly to pass a bill without spending more time debating the issue. Originally, the special session was called to address inflation and give Hoosier financial relief through taxpayer refunds. When Roe was overturned in late June, it was clear they would add abortion to the agenda. The special session, however, offers a limited window of time in which lawmakers can create and pass legislation. Had they waited until the upcoming long legislative session, which begins in January, they could have spent months working on the bill. Instead, they try to do it in about two weeks. Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, said he is concerned that lawmakers are bowing to pressure from a few people with the most extreme views to pass something quickly. “There is a feeling (among some) that we have to do something,” he said. “We’re not going to take the time to properly analyze what the majority of people in the state of Indiana really want, what’s reasonable… So I’m afraid we’re going to pass a really bad bill.”
Democrats have tried to make the abortion ban less restrictive
Democrats tried to soften the bill with amendments to extend the time frame for women to get an abortion and provide exemptions for people with religious beliefs that allow abortion. These efforts failed. Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said giving women a longer window to make a choice about their pregnancy could encourage women to keep their babies. This happened to her. In 2003, Yoder became pregnant. She said she was single, scared and ashamed. She made an appointment at Planned Parenthood. “There was no coercion, no coercion, no pressure,” he said, pushing the talking points of some Republican lawmakers from earlier in the forced abortion debate. “There was compassion. There was dignity.” Ultimately, Yoder decided to keep her pregnancy and it was carried to term. Today, Yoder said she is an “unapologetically, unashamedly, joyfully” mother, but she needed time to make that choice. “I would never make that decision over someone else,” he said. Yoder called the bill draconian, disappointing and “the result of unchecked power, ego and hubris.” Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, sought to amend the bill in committee to extend benefits owed to children, such as life insurance policies, child support and child tax credits, to a fetus at any stage of development. If a fetus is a child, Taylor reasoned, its parents should receive benefits afforded to children. This amendment was defeated along party lines. When Indiana’s legislative leaders announced plans to restrict access to abortion in Indiana, they also promised to look at how they could help women and children. They are promoting two bills to help that cause. House Bill 1001 would increase the adoption tax credit, exempt diaper sales tax and provide $58.5 million in funding for programs that support needy families and mothers. Similarly, Senate Bill 2 dedicates a one-time allocation of $45 million to create the Hoosier Families First Fund and $5 million for adoption tax credits. Democrats denounced the measure as not going far enough to support women, children and families. Republican leaders have said they will consider additional funding for such programs when…
