 STATEHOUSE (April 7, 2022) – A letter recently sent to the governor includes the names of local lawmakers who are urging him to call a special session if the U.S. Supreme Court completely or partially overturns Roe v. Wade.
The nation’s highest court is expected to rule in June on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization where the state of Mississippi is challenging Roe. If the court completely or partially overturns Roe v. Wade, State Reps. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka), Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh), Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) and Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) said they stand ready to reconvene at the Statehouse to pass legislation to better protect the sanctity of life.
“It’s imperative that we protect life at all stages and I urge the governor to call the legislature back into session if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade,” Hostettler said. “My goal is to protect the preborn, and a favorable ruling could give us the opportunity to go back to the Statehouse to do just that.”
Indiana Right to Life estimates an additional 4,000 abortions would occur in the state if the General Assembly waits until the 2023 legislative session to address any changes to Roe v. Wade.
“If given this opportunity in June, we shouldn’t wait until 2023,” Ledbetter said. “We’ll be ready to take action and protect the sanctity of life in the Hoosier state. Needless delay will mean more lives lost.”
Since 2008, abortions dropped by 29% in Indiana and are currently less than half of the state’s all-time high of over 16,500 in 1980. McNamara said with years of strong conservative leadership, Indiana ranks at the top of the 2021 Defending Life report card from Americans United for Life.
“Under Republican leadership, the number of abortions continues to drop in our state,” McNamara said. “We will continue to support alternatives, such as adoption, and Indiana ranks as one of the most adoption-friendly states in the country with consistently some of the highest rates per birth. If the highest court in the land overturns Roe v. Wade, I believe it’s only right to reconvene to build on our already strong pro-life policies.”
This legislative session, Hostettler, Ledbetter, McNamara and O’Brien supported a new law making it a felony in Indiana to coerce a woman into having an abortion. The law also holds abortion clinics accountable for failing to report coercion to law enforcement. According to a 2017 Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons study, nearly 75% of the 987 American women who participated in an after-abortion survey admitted they experienced at least subtle forms of pressure to terminate their pregnancies.
“Indiana has a long history of supporting life at all stages and I believe we need to take action again if the Supreme Court overturns Roe,” O’Brien said. “This would build on our already strong laws in place to protect pregnant mothers and unborn children.”
