INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House voted Wednesday to require Hoosier women seeking an abortion be offered the chance to view a fetal ultrasound, be warned in writing of potential medical dangers and told the fetus may feel pain.
House Bill 1210 was approved 72-23 by the Republican-controlled chamber and now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate.
Wednesday's hour-long debate and vote followed an emotional fight Tuesday over proposed amendments further restricting the right to abortion, even in the case of rape or incest.
On Tuesday, state Rep. Eric Turner, R-Marion, the sponsor of the legislation, said a woman might falsely claim to have been raped in order to obtain an abortion.
State Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, drawing on her experience as a sex crimes investigator for the Hammond Police, said Turner's comment was offensive to all women.
Turner apologized to Lawson on the floor of the House Wednesday.
Besides the information mandates of the proposal, the legislation also requires a physician providing abortion services to have admitting privileges at an in-county or adjacent-county hospital. It also prohibits state-funded health insurance plans under the federal Patient Protection Act from providing coverage for abortion.
Democrats said it was ironic that Republicans who typically vote to eliminate government regulation are eager to impose new mandates on doctors and patients.
"Government really has no business making lifestyle decisions for the women of this state," said state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster.