Democrats field questions from local voters at a Bloomington abortion town hall Sunday.
(Wei Wang, WFIU/WTIU News)
Indiana Republicans may introduce a law severely restricting women’s reproductive rights in two weeks, state Democratic legislators warned at a Bloomington town hall Sunday.
The Republicans are expected to introduce the anti-abortion bill in a special session at the state Legislature that starts July 25. The bill could include a sweeping abortion ban with few exceptions, the legislators said during the town hall at the Monroe County Public Library. The event was hosted by the Monroe County Democratic Party.
While no details have been shared about what the bill may look like, Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) said he expected two far-right representatives to introduce amendments imposing extreme restrictions. These amendments would trigger roll calls, pressuring more moderate Republicans to take a side.
Portrayals of abortion-seeking women as disrespectful of life have hardened state Republicans’ stances and will likely be reflected in their bill, Pierce said.
“Right now they’re thinking most about, ‘What do my core, anti-abortion constituencies within my district think about this,’” he said. “So it’s kind of a wildcard as to how it’s really going to play out.”
The U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for states to decide their own abortion laws on June 24, when it overturned the 50-year precedent set by Roe v. Wade.
Dr. Victoria Garcia Wilburn is a Democrat running for House District 32, which includes parts of Carmel, Fishers and northern Indianapolis. She said the Supreme Court decision meant health care providers could be subject to new health certification rules in conservative-majority states like Indiana.
“This is such a slippery slope for healthcare providers,” Wilburn said. “It’s the most intrusive thing that can happen to a health care provider.”
Last month, Gov. Eric Holcomb said he was ready to sign any new abortion law legislators pass in the Statehouse, stating he had “no red lines.”
State Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said Holcomb’s blank check promise was “atrocious” and called on Hoosier voters to stay engaged.
“It should be making each of us very angry that we have a governor who said, ‘I'll sign anything that comes before me,’ restricting abortion access without knowing what it's going to say, without any kind of engagement with Hoosiers,” Yoder said.
About two-thirds of Americans and 61% of Midwesterners opposed overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll conducted in May.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton has sponsored a free chartered bus ride to the Bans Off Indiana Rally at the Statehouse on July 25. The bus departs at 9:30 am. The Monroe County Democratic Party will hold another town hall after the special session begins.
