Right to Life of Northeast Indiana Neutral on SB 1
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Dobbs v. Jackson decision on June 24th, RLNI was hopeful that our state would lead the way in pro-life legislation to protect all lives in Indiana, no matter the circumstances of their conception. SB 1 failed to live up to those expectations fully. RLNI was in opposition to this bill as first written while actively working with legislators to advocate for the changes we wanted to see. As amended by the House, we have moved to a neutral position on the bill that has since been signed into law by our Governor on August 6th and will take effect September 15th. We understand that legislators voted for this bill in an attempt to pass pro-life legislation in our state at a time when the line was being drawn in the sand so to speak.
What it does do:
Likely 95% of abortions will end in Indiana
Abortions will only occur legally in hospitals or an outpatient surgical centers
Abortion clinics will no longer be licensed and they will not be allowed to operate
Doctors that perform illegal abortions shall lose their license and could be charged with a felony
Where it’s problematic:
It does not protect babies conceived in rape and incest, and effectively provides a potential loophole for abortions to continue
Allows abortion to continue for “lethal fetal anomaly” which are often false
Minors can obtain abortions without parental notification in certain circumstances
- Does not hold prosecutors who refuse to prosecute abortionists accountable
How our work continues:
There is a misconception with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the passage of SB 1 that our work to end abortion is done in Indiana. However, not much has changed in Northeast IN for our Sidewalk Advocates. In fact, our Planned Parenthood in Fort Wayne was already preparing for this reality by referring their abortion patients to their Michigan abortion centers. The drive to these clinics are similar distance and time to the drive to Indianapolis where women were previously referred for abortions. We need your partnership more than ever to stop women from seeking abortions and choose life. We need to link arms to hold abortionists in our state accountable to the law. We need pro-life friends to be vigilant in reporting possible illegal activities. We need to continue to advocate for stronger laws in our state that value and protect every life, no matter the circumstances of their conception or their perceived health status or life expectancy. Together we still have much work ahead, but are encouraged by our future in a Post-Roe world.
