New amendment to abortion bill allows exception to protect health of mother
An Indiana House committee made significant changes Tuesday to a Republican-backed bill that would ban virtually all abortions in the state.
An Indiana House committee made significant changes Tuesday to a Republican-backed bill that would ban virtually all abortions in the state.
The current version of the state’s abortion bill could allow Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to step in when county prosecutors choose not to pursue certain violations of state law.
Senate Bill 1 — which exposed divides over abortion in the Republican caucus — has arrived in the Indiana House, where it has already picked up three sponsors and leadership has set a schedule that includes one day for the committee hearing.
Indiana state senators narrowly passed a near-total abortion ban Saturday during a rare weekend session, sending the bill to the House after a contentious week of arguments over whether to allow exceptions for rape and incest.
Abortion clinics in Indiana are now in the crosshairs of the Indiana General Assembly and are likely to face a sharp drop-off in business if current legislation passes that would significantly restrict access to abortion.
During more than six hours of contentious and emotional debate Thursday night, the Indiana Senate defeated a barrage of proposed changes to a bill that would ban most abortions in the state, including one amendment that would have eliminated exceptions for cases of rape and incest.
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.
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.
As the Legislature prepares to consider Gov. Eric Holcomb’s proposal to return $1 billion of the state’s surplus to taxpayers, some legislators, economists and business leaders are questioning whether putting that money directly into the pockets of Hoosiers is the best use of the windfall.
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.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb sidestepped taking a stance Tuesday on how far the Republican-dominated Legislature should go in restricting abortions when state lawmakers begin a special session in less than two weeks.
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.