Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Planned Parenthood Action Fund Call on Gov. Holcomb to Veto S.B. 1

71% of people in Indiana want legal access to abortion

Indianapolis, IN – On Friday, Indiana lawmakers voted to send Senate Bill 1, the outright abortion ban, to Governor Holcomb’s desk to become law. S.B. 1, which passed the House 62-38 and Senate 28-19, would ban nearly all abortion in the state, leading to devastating maternal health outcomes in Indiana.

S.B. 1 is an egregious attack on health care in Indiana and even more extreme than the bans seen in other states. S.B. 1 directly attacks abortion providers with threats of two level-5 felony charges and up to 12 years of jail time. And, the bill would prevent reproductive health clinics that currently offer abortion from doing so in any circumstance, even under the ban’s few exceptions. Together, these stringent restrictions would make it difficult, if not impossible, for patients to find a physician able or willing to provide abortion in legally permitted circumstances — such as in cases of rape, incest, fetal anomaly, or when the life or health of the pregnant person is threatened.

Polling last month revealed that 71% of Hoosiers, including 58% of Republicans and 62% of independents, say it is important to them that people in their state have access to all reproductive health care options, including abortion. The same poll found 80% of people in Indiana believe that doctors should be able to provide abortion without fear of criminalization or being charged with a felony.

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Planned Parenthood Action Fund call on the Governor to side with the majority of people in Indiana and veto legislation that denies Hoosiers access to safe and legal abortion.

Statement from Jennifer M. Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates:

“This attack on maternal health is outrageous and we call on Governor Holcomb to side with the majority and veto S.B 1. This abortion ban would deny Hoosiers the care they need, with catastrophic impacts on Indiana’s already dire maternal mortality crisis. The Indiana government is inserting itself into private decisions about when and whether to have children and it is unconscionable and unacceptable. We cannot let extremist Indiana lawmakers take away our control over our own bodies. We must put the people of Indiana first and stop this ban here, now, and permanently.”

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Anti-abortion lawmakers in Indiana wasted no time gaveling in session with the sole intent of banning abortion in the state. Hoosiers didn’t want this. Over 70% of the people in the state support abortion access — and that was evident when they packed the halls of the capitol almost two weeks ago for the first day of the special session. Indiana politicians looked them in the face, heard their chants, and turned around and played politics with their lives. Today’s vote was cruel and will prove devastating for pregnant people and their families in Indiana and across the whole region if the governor signs it into law. Governor Holcomb needs to do the right thing and stand up for his constituents and veto S.B. 1.”

Banning abortion does not end the need for abortion. Nearly one in four women in America will have an abortion by the age of 45. Indiana already faces the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the country. Maternal health demands access to abortion care. This bill would worsen Indiana’s already troubling maternal and infant health outcomes.
If allowed to become law, this abortion ban would go into effect September 15, 2022.