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Lawmakers from states with Republican-controlled legislatures, including Indiana, gathered Friday in Washington, D.C., for a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights as abortion regulations are sent back to the states following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
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.”
GiaQuinta said Indiana Republicans “have signaled a plan to limit abortion access” by the end of this month. The Indiana General Assembly, which has a GOP supermajority, is scheduled to begin a special legislative session on July 25 to discuss economic relief and, notably, abortion legislation following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Addressing the vice president, GiaQuinta said Indiana Democrats are “ready to join” efforts to secure “basic freedoms and protections that have been stripped away by the Supreme Court’s regressive agenda.”
“The first-ever majority-women caucus in Indiana history understands that there is no equality without bodily autonomy,” GiaQuinta said during the roundtable discussion. “Access to safe and legal abortion is critical for women to remain economically mobile, independent and safe.”
Dobbs, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion first secured in Roe v. Wade, prompted legislators to add abortion to the special session’s agenda. It’s widely expected that the session will result in stricter abortion regulations in Indiana, if not an outright ban, but Republican leaders have not yet released details as to what any new laws may entail.
Hoosier Democrats criticized Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Republican lawmakers last week for delaying the special session, which was originally scheduled to begin on July 6. Legislative leaders delayed the start date after Dobbs to consider the abortion issue before formally convening.
“Make no mistake: An abortion ban will kill women,” GiaQuinta told Harris. “Indiana leads the nation in maternal and infant mortality outcomes and lacks the infrastructure to support families as it is.”
For her part, the VP discussed President Joe Biden’s signing of a July 8 executive order aimed at protecting access to reproductive health care services.
Specifically, the executive order is designed to protect mobile clinics near the borders of states restricting abortion access. It also enlists the U.S. attorney general and the White House counsel to convene private pro bono attorneys, bar associations and public interest organizations to offer support to people crossing state lines to get an abortion.
“Indiana made headlines last week as a safe haven for a 10-year-old rape victim to receive an abortion. Why? Because Ohio had a trigger law that prioritized Republicans’ unpopular dogma over her personal health and safety,” GiaQuinta said during his Friday remarks, citing a story referenced by President Joe Biden when he signed the order on July 8. There is skepticism about the story’s validity. “However, our ability to provide life-saving health care to women may come to an end soon.”
The executive order also directs the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a report within 30 days outlining additional actions to protect medication abortion, ensure emergency health care, expand access to contraceptive services and increase public education around reproductive rights.
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