For decades, Indiana GOP lawmakers have promised their constituents that, given the chance, they would ban abortion. But in the first week of a special session, the legislators are learning that saying what they are going to do is easier than actually doing it.
Indianapolis attorney William Rosenbaum said he sees a link between the abortion ban being crafted in the Indiana Statehouse and the number of lawyer jobs being filled in Indiana. Rosenbaum’s firm, Rosenbaum Law P.C., is among more than 200 Hoosier businesses that recently signed a letter calling on lawmakers to maintain access to reproductive health.
An Indiana House committee made significant changes Tuesday to a Republican-backed bill that would ban virtually all abortions in the state.
House and Senate Republicans in the Indiana General Assembly remain on a collision course over how to provide inflation relief for Hoosiers after committees from both chambers passed bills that take vastly different approaches.
Thousands of people arguing the abortion issue surrounded the Indiana Statehouse and filled its corridors Monday as state lawmakers began consideration of a Republican proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state and Vice President Kamala Harris denounced the effort during a meeting with Democratic legislators.
Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Indianapolis on Monday as part of what appears to be a more aggressive and personal campaign for abortion rights and an effort to elevate Democratic lawmakers in red states as they oppose proposed abortion bans.
As Indiana lawmakers prepare to convene next week for a special session to consider legislation expected to severely restrict access to abortions, they’re receiving petitions from state business leaders, health care organizations and even religious organizations warning them of the potential consequences.
Signaling their opposition to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s plan to issue $1 billion to Hoosier taxpayers in the form of $225 tax refund checks, Indiana Senate Republicans presented an alternate plan Wednesday to provide some financial relief for Indiana residents during a period of record-high inflation.
Indiana Republicans are pursuing legislation to ban abortions in the state except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of a mother. GOP leaders also announced economic packages to invest in Hoosier women and babies.
Leaders of Indiana’s Republican-dominated Senate were set to reveal Wednesday how aggressive they want a special legislative session to go in restricting abortions as the state has drawn attention over a 10-year-old who came from Ohio to get an abortion.
In the state of Indiana, if an individual commits the act of child molesting before their 18th birthday but charges aren’t filed until after they turn 21, the offender is essentially off the hook. According to the state’s highest court, there’s a “jurisdictional gap” in the law making that possible.
The terms “reconciliation agreement,” “postnuptial agreement,” “postmarital agreement,” “separation agreement,” “marital agreement” and “settlement agreement” have been the subject of considerable Indiana appellate court commentary without legislative guidance.
With a little more than a week left before the Republican-dominated Indiana Legislature convenes for a special session, not much is known about what its abortion-related legislation will look like, or exactly how soon bills will be filed.
Dozens of Republicans who back pro-life issues refused to comment on a possible Indiana abortion ban, leaving a key Right to Life attorney’s proposal as the primary discussion point in the Indiana General Assembly.
Indiana House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, joined lawmakers from Florida, South Dakota, Nebraska and Montana for a discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris about abortion, which she called “one of the most challenging and troubling issues of the day.”
A multiweek special legislative session to consider tax refunds and new abortion restrictions is expected to cost Indiana taxpayers at least $280,000 in additional compensation to the state’s 150 lawmakers.
Indiana’s abortion laws will likely be tightened even before the Legislature is expected to start debating additional abortion restrictions later this month.
While Indiana House and Senate Democrats met at the Statehouse on Wednesday — the technical start date of a special session meant for discussions about Hoosier economic relief and abortion — a swarm of pro-choice protestors gathered on the building’s steps.
The weeks between now and the start of the Indiana Legislature’s special session might be the calm before the storm. With the U.S. Supreme Court sending abortion decisions back to the states, Indiana Republican leadership expanded the agenda for the special session from tax relief to also include the crafting of a new abortion law.
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday he is calling lawmakers back to the Indiana Statehouse on July 6 to consider his plan to send $1 billion in refunds to Indiana taxpayers.