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INDIANAPOLIS — Politicians and community leaders are reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The decision came in a case about Mississippi’s abortion law, which sought to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

With Friday’s decision, states can now make their own laws regarding abortions.

You can read the statements below:

This ruling will plunge us back into a society where the most personal aspect of a woman’s life will be at the mercy of her state legislature. Indiana will enter a bygone era where a woman is forced to carry unexpected and unsafe pregnancies to term—with no regard for her personal choice, her physician’s advice or her circumstances or potential risks. And let’s be clear, women will die. We already have the 3rd highest maternal mortality rate in the nation—restricting abortion care will have deadly and devastating outcomes for women and families. Maternal mortality rates across the country and in our state are about to see a drastic rise. These fatalities will occur when women at a higher risk for pregnancy-related death, such as polycystic ovary syndrome and blood clotting disorders, are forced to carry out pregnancies against their will or doctor’s orders.

Roe v. Wade protected a fundamental right to privacy that ensured women could access all forms of healthcare to support the best health outcomes. Supporting maternal health means guaranteeing access to vital healthcare, respecting health care providers’ guidance and leaving women the freedom to make personal and nuanced reproductive decisions without government interference.

The outcome of banning abortion care will have a drastic impact on our entire state. Due to decades of underinvestment in key social infrastructure, Indiana does not have the ability to support a forced-birth society. We already have a critical healthcare provider and OB/GYN shortage. DCS is underfunded, and we have the second highest rate of child abuse and the highest rate of child deaths from abuse in the nation. Adoption subsidies are fully not guaranteed in state statute, so we already don’t support all families wanting to care for children. 81% of our schools lack access to reproductive health services that are crucial to preventing unwanted teen pregnancies. Families cannot afford skyrocketing housing costs and we’re still not doing enough to adequately fund public education, Medicaid coverage or postpartum support services like doulas for new mothers. We are not prepared.

My caucus and I will continue fighting for women as we enter this dark time. We will be fighting to promote life for women, expand maternal health coverage and support, and invest in key infrastructure in Indiana like child care, education, DCS and public health. All of these efforts will be critical if we’re about to start forcing girls and women to have babies in a state that currently ranks 3rd in the country for maternal mortality. Regardless of what happens in our upcoming special session, my caucus will never give up fighting for essential abortion care for all Hoosier women.

Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis)

Today is a joyful day and a turning point for the unborn in America. I will be celebrating tonight with my wife Amanda and our three daughters. I’d like to thank the thousands of pro-life advocates, conservative representatives, and voters, who have worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years to overturn the disastrous Roe decision.

I am reiterating my call for Governor Holcomb and the Indiana legislatures to convene a special session and pass pro-life legislation. I will be working hard in Congress to build on today’s victory.

Lastly, I’m astonished by the bravery of the Supreme Court Justices, who upheld their oath to the Constitution and issued an impartial, thorough and correct decision, even in the face of a murder attempt and a coordinated left-wing intimidation campaign condoned by the Biden Department of Justice. I’m praying for their safety.

Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, Republican, District 3

I have long believed that the Supreme Court’s decision to claim authority over the rights of the unborn was one of the darkest moments in its history; today’s decision represents not only a great victory in the fight to preserve life at every stage and for states’ rights, but the opportunity to right a wrong. The right to life is the cornerstone of American principles and now states will have the ability to protect life at every stage, restoring some balance to our federalist system. After nearly 50 years, we have finally corrected this stain on our nation’s history, and I’m proud to join the millions of Americans across the country in celebrating this monumental and well overdue decision.

Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04)

My heart breaks today, because with the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion, a 50-year understanding and American-standard has been stripped away from women of all stripes, colors, and backgrounds. Generations of women for the first time will be forced to make dangerous decisions many of us thought we left in history books. And what horrifies me most, underprivileged women – especially Black and Brown Hoosiers in urban communities – will see their futures dashed or their lives be put at risk because the nation’s highest court backed a small minority over the large majority of Americans who want to keep living up to the foundations and freedoms of the United States.

In Indiana, the days are now numbered to get a safe and legal abortion. And what scares me the most is the fact we have a state government who is ready to request that Governor Eric Holcomb call a special session and use taxpayer dollars just to ban this medical procedure in the state. It is unclear how extreme the Indiana Republican Party will go, but politicians like U.S. Senator Todd Young and State Representative John Jacob have signed pledges they wish for the state to enact a total ban on abortions – even in the cases of rape, incest, or saving the life of the mother. Should the Republican Supermajority go as extreme as many of us believe, they will be fulfilling a national partisan agenda that only 17-percent of Hoosiers support in this state.

So I ask Indiana Republicans today: Do they really want to pass a complete ban on abortion – including for cases of rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother? 

This is the first time in our nation’s history that we’ve taken such a huge step back on personal freedom, and I am horrified about what other dominos will fall now that women will lose their rights to this legal and safe procedure. A woman’s right to contraception and birth control will be the next issue up for debate, and I fear the Indiana Republican Party will continue their crusade of violating the privacy rights of Hoosiers – because have repeatedly shown us they believe a Hoosier’s personal life should be subjected for approval by politicians – not doctors or medical professionals.

The Indiana Democratic Party sides with the 83-percent of Hoosiers who believe access to abortions should be legal in some form. We side with the belief that it’s truly only a woman’s right to choose, and the belief that a politician has no business being in a doctor’s office with a woman and her doctor. And, Indiana Democrats will fight tooth and nail every step of the way against this form of dangerous and extreme partisanship. Democrats will show voters and families that the Indiana Republican Party is no longer the so-called ‘conservative’ party of decades past – but an extreme one who prioritizes an un-American, partisan agenda over creating a better future for families in all 92 counties.

Myla Eldridge, Vice-Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party
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