“Today is a sad day. With Senate Bill 1 enacted, Hoosier women of reproductive age now have fewer rights than their mothers did. The freedom to choose if and when to have a baby is one of the most sacred rights a woman has to decide her own destiny.

“We cannot understate the disproportionate impacts this dangerous and deadly legislation will have on women, especially Black women and women of color in Indiana. Black women in our state already face much higher rates of maternal mortality, and Senate Bill 1 will force women to risk their lives to carry a pregnancy to term. In the months to come, we’ll hear tragic stories about women who died because they couldn’t access a safe and legal abortion, doctors who have to turn patients away because they aren’t deemed sick enough to require an abortion, and stories of women who not only lost wanted pregnancies, but were left infertile due to medical complications that could not be addressed in a timely fashion due to the restrictions in this legislation.

“This isn’t a ‘pro-life’ bill, this is a cruel and dangerous piece of legislation that will have dire consequences for so many Hoosier women.”

—Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus

“This legislation is bad enough on the surface; any limitation on a person’s bodily autonomy is reprehensible. However, when we look at the data, we find this bill isn’t just a limitation on a woman’s ability to control her own body, but also a piece of legislation that will have deadly consequences for Hoosier women

“In the months and years ahead, there’s no doubt in my mind that we will hear horror stories from women and doctors because of this cruel law. We’ll hear of women who died of infection because they couldn’t access a timely abortion following a miscarriage. We’ll hear from women who were turned away from hospitals until they were “sick enough” to qualify for an abortion. We’ll also hear about women who were left infertile—or lost their lives—trying to access a back alley abortion because the statistics are clear: Abortion bans don’t prevent abortions, they prevent safe abortions.

“How many women are we willing to sacrifice under the guise of protecting life? How many children will have to grow up without a mother because of the law pushed through by Indiana Republicans? How many doctors will our state lose because of this draconian law that takes effect today?”

—Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis

“America, the ‘Land of the Free?’ Free for whom? I’d protest that sentiment as the Indiana GOP has enacted one of the most radical, faithless pieces of legislation subverting the rights of millions of Hoosier women and girls. America used to be a country that led the world in progress towards democracy and human rights. The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade—ending the right for every American to obtain a safe, legal abortion—means our nation joins only one of four countries in recent years that have rolled back reproductive freedom once guaranteed.

“It’s difficult to comprehend the magnitude of disgust as I watch mothers, sisters, nieces and coworkers’ rights stripped away from them. The complete and utter helplessness that comes from knowing that a doctor may be too afraid to make a life-saving medical decision, or a parent may be too afraid to seek out care after her young girl has been raped. Is that freedom? It can’t be.”

—Indiana House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne

“Every day that this ban on abortion is in effect, Hoosiers are unable to access critical health care. This ban immediately impacts the 1.3 million women and people of reproductive age across the state by stripping them of their right to access basic care—forcing Hoosiers to either flee their community to access an abortion, if they have the resources to do so, or to carry a pregnancy against their will and for some Hoosiers, against their religious beliefs.

“With multiple lawsuits pending in Indiana courts, we remain confident that the courts will see this law for what it is, a flagrant attack on the rights of Hoosiers. This fight is far from over. We’ll continue doing everything in our power to restore abortion access in Indiana as soon as possible.”

—Ken Falk, legal director of the ACLU of Indiana 

“Today is a day that will stain Indiana’s history …

“Much has already been said on the many flaws of this law and the ideology behind it. We know it will force more pregnant women and girls in Indiana to face real, life-threatening situations, resulting in permanent physical impairment and death, in a state that already has a maternal mortality crisis. We know it will further contribute to, and exacerbate, the brain drain in our state and our ability to solve the worker shortage as more Hoosiers face retirement age. As state representative, I fought this law to the bitter end …

“As the late Representative Bill Crawford used to say, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’ And given the far-reaching attempts to over-regulate family planning decisions on the most intimate of issues, most Hoosiers are on the menu with no seat at the table right now.”

—Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend

“The Indiana Republican Party and its supermajority are taking away the freedom of women to make health care decisions about their own bodies. Republican politicians want to stand between a woman or girl and her doctor. Democratic leaders believe Hoosiers are the best people to make decisions about their own health care. That’s the choice that is on the ballot this November, and we encourage all Hoosiers to vote Democratic so we can bring more balance and more accountability to our state.”

—Lauren Ganapini, executive director for the Indiana Democratic Party

FOOTNOTE:  Tabby Fitzgerald is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.