A woman, or for that matter any couple, facing abortion in Indiana must encounter legal hoops.
The parent of a minor must consent before an abortion is performed.
A woman must obtain an ultrasound, and the provider must offer her an opportunity to view the image.
A woman must also receive state-directed counseling that includes information to discourage her from her decision. Then she must wait 18 hours before undergoing the procedure.
Only first trimester abortions can be performed in outpatient clinics.
An abortion may be performed at 20 or more weeks only if the woman's life or physical health is in danger.
That's just the beginning of the standards to undergo a legal procedure. The decision to terminate a pregnancy lies with the woman, not society, and her health care provider who can discuss the risk of the procedure. That relationship has been recognized by the law since 1973.
But now there's a bill in the Indiana General Assembly that adds another step, again for right-to-life advocates to have a third party push their agenda.
House Bill 1128 requires abortion providers to give women, prior to them receiving abortion drugs, information about a pill that can reverse the abortion process.
Abortion pill reversal is controversial. Proponents say the pill gives women a chance to stop a chemically induced abortion. Critics say there's no scientific evidence to support the approach.
The bill's provisions are an unnecessary addition to a series of laws that already ensures that both sides of the abortion issue are presented to women.
The House bill intentionally preys on women who have normal second doubts about abortion. The bill can add a traumatic tug-of-war to an already emotional decision.
More so, the bill strives to move a social agenda into public policy. That dangerous proposition would only set up yet another hurdle to a legal procedure and a private decision.