Up to date August 6, 2022 at 3:50 PM ET
Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a brand new abortion ban into legislation on Friday, set to take impact on Sept. 15.
The invoice was handed by the state Home 62-38 earlier within the day on Friday earlier than the state Senate accepted it 28-19 late Friday evening.
The actions made Indiana the primary state to go new laws for an abortion ban because the Supreme Court docket struck down Roe v. Wade in late June. Different states have banned abortion since then, however have performed so by way of present set off legal guidelines that had been set to take impact as soon as a call hanging Roe got here down.
“Following the overturning of Roe, I said clearly that I might be keen to help laws that made progress in defending life,” Holcomb mentioned in a press release. “For my part, [the bill] accomplishes this purpose following its passage in each chambers of the Indiana Normal Meeting with a strong majority of help. These actions adopted lengthy days of hearings stuffed with sobering and private testimony from residents and elected representatives on this emotional and complicated subject.”
Abortion will quickly be banned within the state, however there are some exceptions, together with if a pregnant girl’s life is in danger. There are additionally exceptions within the legislation for rape and incest and deadly fetal anomalies, although the legislation imposes a sophisticated course of for performing abortions below these exceptions.
Medical doctors within the state who carry out unlawful abortions will lose their medical licenses.
Among the many legislation’s provisions, it can strip licenses from amenities that at the moment carry out abortions that aren’t hospitals or outpatient clinics owned by hospitals.
The brand new legislation will make Indiana a part of a block of states within the central U.S. the place abortion is banned and pressure these in search of the process to journey farther.
Deliberate Parenthood known as the laws “an egregious assault on well being care in Indiana,” and famous that the group’s amenities wouldn’t be capable to present abortions after it takes impact, even within the circumstance the place exceptions are granted.
“The way in which Indiana lawmakers moved this invoice, swiftly and with out regard for the folks it can influence most, is merciless and out of contact,” mentioned Rebecca Gibron, CEO for Deliberate Parenthood Nice Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. “Governor Holcomb shut off his telephones, cowering from his constituents, and signed their fates away to a future with out bodily autonomy and entry to elementary well being care.”
Firms inside the state are already paying attention to the legislation. The pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly has greater than 10,000 workers in Indianapolis. The corporate mentioned it’s “involved that this legislation will hinder Lilly’s – and Indiana’s – skill to draw various scientific, engineering and enterprise expertise from around the globe,” in a press release supplied to NPR.
“Whereas we’ve got expanded our worker well being plan protection to incorporate journey for reproductive companies unavailable regionally, that might not be sufficient for some present and potential workers.”
The corporate mentioned it must plan its future progress exterior of Indiana, the place it has been headquartered for greater than 145 years.
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