The Indiana Legislature and Gov. Mike Pence over stepped their bounds, morally and legally, in signing House Bill 1337 into law. The bill makes Indiana, already one of the most restrictive states in the nation on the abortion issue, even more so.
The major point is that a woman cannot seek an abortion solely because her fetus could be born with a disability such as Down syndrome. It also takes away the possibility of terminating a pregnancy because of the gender or race of the fetus.
And it includes a variety of clauses that extend the process for a woman who has made the decision to seek an abortion, and to doctors who perform the medical procedure. Even if a doctor was convinced an unborn child wouldn’t survive outside the womb, the mother must undergo mandatory counseling before completing her decision. In short, it fully engulfs government into what should be a personal matter.
It’s hard to imagine having to determine your capacity to nurture and raise a severely disabled child. The pregnancy is more dangerous for the mother. Once the child arrives, no matter the love it receives, pressure escalates on the parents, siblings and family finances.
That’s one reason Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) attempted to write a guarantee into the bill that the state would cover medical expenses. That was refuted, with one legislator saying that there was no telling how expensive that would be for the state. Apparently, it doesn’t matter what it does to an individual, and that’s hypocrisy of the highest degree.
Several women legislators, many who describe themselves as pro-life, spoke up against the bill and/or the way it was pushed through by a House and Senate dominated by white male Republicans. Those legislators included Reps. Sharon Negele (R-Attica), Cindy Kirchhofer (R-Beech Grove) and Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon). Their words also fell on deaf ears.
In signing the bill, Pence had this to say: “Some of my most precious moments as governor have been with families of children with disabilities, especially those raising children with Down syndrome.”
But when those moments are over, Pence can return to his office, leaving the families on their own to deal with the day-in, day-out difficulties and stresses. That’s what this law does: leave parents, many unequipped and underfunded, to deal alone with an over whelming situation.
Becker noted that the law puts the state opposite standing law, with restrictions that appear to fly in the face of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on abortion.
Beyond that, as she said, “This should be a decision of a family inconjunction with their religious beliefs as well as their physicians... and the Legislature ought to get out of it.”
In our view, Indiana’s next Legislature, and its next governor, should repeal this law— if the courts don’t beat them to it.