ACLU of Indiana Opposes Anti-Choice Legislation

INDIANAPOLIS – A bill that would interfere with Hoosiers’ access to reproductive health care, House Bill 1577, passed out of the House today. The ACLU of Indiana warned in testimony that the legislation would place an undue burden on women seeking abortions and would threaten medical providers First Amendment rights.

Katie Blair, public policy and advocacy director with the ACLU of Indiana issued this statement:

“Reproductive health care, including abortion, should be safe and available to those who need it, and not restricted by certain politicians who want to ban abortions. Yet, HB 1577 is an omnibus anti-choice bill that runs afoul of the Constitution, placing multiple new restrictions on abortion access.

“HB 1577 would force health providers to lie to their patients and provide dangerous, false and misleading information about abortion reversal, putting patients at risk while ignoring science and the First Amendment rights of medical providers. Patients rely on their providers to help them make informed medical decisions. No one benefits from forcing providers to share misinformation.

“In addition, the bill attempts to push abortion access out of reach by forcing minors to jump through even more hoops to get abortion care, and by limiting the use of telemedicine for reproductive health care services, a particularly dangerous proposal during a pandemic. Everyone should be able to get the health care they need, and certain politicians should not dictate personal medical decisions.”