Indiana Has Passed Another Idiotic Abortion Law


This week, Indiana has passed another ridiculous abortion restriction. It makes women responsible for the burial or cremation of their aborted and even miscarried fetuses among other insane things. So, Indiana wants to add to the trauma and the burden of having an abortion.

The bill would also force women to listen to the heartbeat and watch an ultrasound 18 hours before the procedure. The woman would have the option to sign a form and bypass this requirement. It also requires the ultrasound to be done at the same facility as the abortion. Since only four counties in Indiana have abortion providers, it means a lot more travelling and time away from home.

This new bill also shoe-horns in a requirement for the doctor performing the procedure to have hospital admitting privileges.

But here is the big one. It prohibits women from getting an abortion because of the possibility of “Down syndrome or any other disability.” That’s a pretty wide spectrum. This could force women to carry babies that will not survive.

Even some pro-lifers are balking at this bill. This bill makes Indiana the second state to deny abortions based on disabilities. It would open up the doctors to wrongful death lawsuits as well.

Critics say that the bill would force women to endure high risk pregnancies and to not speak candidly with their doctors about any problems.

This bill makes Indiana one of the strictest states on abortion restrictions.

Florida also passed strict abortion restrictions this week. They put a ban on any state funding for abortion providers. These states are just trying to chip at Roe v. Wade. It also forces abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges. Clinics would have to be up to meet the safety standards of an outpatient surgery center. It also blocks state funding for women receiving STD screening and birth control from these clinics.

The contraception restrictions really don’t make sense. The pro-lifers want to stop women from terminating pregnancies, but they also want to stop women from getting contraception which would prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Featured image by Tatiana Vdb via flickr.com, available under Creative Commons 2.0 license.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com