Thousands Rally at Indiana State Capitol Monday to Tell Legislators “BANS OFF INDIANA”

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Thousands of Hoosiers filled the Indiana State Capitol Monday with one very clear message: “BANS OFF INDIANA.” The rally, organized by Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, ACLU of Indiana, and Women4Change, gathered abortion advocates, physicians, clergy, legislators, and other impacted people from across the state in opposition to S.B. 1, a bill that would ban nearly all abortion care in Indiana. 

“Senate Bill 1 would put providers at risk of investigations, criminalization, and even jail time, preventing physicians from delivering the basic health care they’ve trained their entire medical careers to deliver,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. “We cannot let extremist Indiana lawmakers insert their beliefs in place of medical expertise. Senate Bill 1 is dangerous, full stop. Every person should be able to make their own decisions about their health and their bodies – including abortion. This is a matter of dignity, autonomy, and freedom.”

“Watching this legislature waste time on anti-abortion agendas is an insult to the people they promised to protect,” said LaKimba DeSadier, Indiana State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “The majority of people in Indiana oppose abortion bans like S.B. 1. Nearly 3 out of 4 voters say people should have access to all reproductive health care, including abortion. And 84 percent of Indiana voters want lawmakers to focus on addressing the state’s economic conditions rather than passing new laws to ban abortion. This is not a divisive issue. Passing an outright abortion ban directly ignores the will of the people.”

As abortion rights advocates rallied, hundreds of Hoosiers stood in line to testify against the ban, building an overwhelming visual of opposition in the chamber. However, after hearing only about 60 testifiers out of hundreds, lawmakers cut off testimony and rammed the bill out of committee, silencing the public in the process.

S.B. 1 is an extreme abortion ban that bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions that are vague, difficult to access, and amount to a right in name only. In committee, lawmakers made exemptions even narrower, imposing an 8 week ban on abortion for survivors of rape and incest. The bill passed out of committee in a vote of 7 to 5. Those voting in favor of the bill included Senators: Bray, Bassler, Crider, Glick, Holdman, Kruse, and Charbonneau. No votes included Senators: Taylor, Lanane, Melton, Yoder, Messmer.

Senate Bill 1 now heads to the Senate floor for final votes on Thursday and Friday this week. 

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Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Serving AK, HI, ID, IN, KY, WA (PPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization educating residents and policymakers about reproductive health issues in Alaska, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky and Washington. PPAA lobbies and educates to advance Planned Parenthood's mission, and engages in limited electoral activities.