Indiana Legislature Approves Heavy Abortion Bill

ACROSS INDIANA — AP News reports the Indiana Legislature sent a bill to Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday that would require medical providers to report detailed patient information to the state if they treat woman for complications stemming from abortions. AP News says although the bill isn't as big as recent Indiana abortion laws, a debate against supporters and opponents is taking place. Supporters believe the new bill is necessary to make sure abortions are done safely, while opponents argued it would allow the involvement of government, which would therefore hold back medical providers, AP News reports.

AP News says opponents also said abortions have a low complication rate and wonder why the same detailed reporting requirements aren't set for other medical procedures.

The Indiana Right to Life group tweeted early Wednesday morning that they looked forward to the governor "signing the historic legislation."

While a Holcomb spokeswoman wouldn't say whether the Republican governor will sign the bill, he signed an abortions restrictions bill last year dealing with parental notification. However, AP News reports that bill has since been blocked from taking effect as it's being challenged in court.

According to AP News, at least 20 states have these laws, but the amount of detail that needs to be reported varies, the Guttmacher Institute, which opposes abortion restrictions, reports.

The bill passed Wednesday by the Indiana Legislature would require doctors, hospitals and abortion clinics to report every time a patient suffers from a medical complication to the State Department of Health, including serious ones such as kidney failure, depression, cardiac arrest, sleep disorders, anxiety, hemorrhaging and blood clots, AP News says.

In addition to these requirements, the bill also orders additional personal information be reported to the state for a woman suffering from an abortion complication, AP News says.

The bill also includes requirements for abortion clinics, such as an inspection at least once a year, reporting if any employee has been convicted of a felony and more.

AP News says that while the number of abortions performed in Indiana has significantly decreased over the past decade, newer and stricter abortion laws approved by lawmakers were found unconstitutional in recent years by the courts.

According to state records, this resulted in the state paying back more than $290,000 in legal fees to the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the laws.

More: apnews.com

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