Forget the past! Prevention Now!
The outcome of the general election on November 7, 2006 will determine the future of reproductive health in the state of Indiana. Birth control is at stake. Sex education is at stake. Medical privacy is at stake. Safe, legal abortion access is at stake. (Don't believe us? Check out last session's legislative summary.)
What can you do to make sure you retain control over your own body and decisions?
- Step one, get educated about the issues–you're doing that now. This page is our clearinghouse for why you should vote, why you should pay attention to your state and local government, and why you need to hold your elected officials accountable.
- Step two, vote November 7, 2006.
- Step three, rally on February 8, 2007–because Election Day is only the beginning!
Prevention Now rally 2.8.07
How many Planned Parenthood supporters can we fit into the statehouse? Let's find out! We need you with us on February 8 to demand common sense solutions to unintended pregancies, unwarranted intrusion into medical privacy, and lack of honest sex education. Pledge to stand up for Prevention Now!
Don't know what's at stake? Watch the videos...
 Hear from Planned Parenthood staff & volunteers, state legislators & candidates, and Indiana citizens of all stripes on how your vote affects your privacy and health care. It's fabulous new insights into what we've known for years, all in easy-to-digest web video form—watch now!
...or post the ads...
Sure, you can email out a link to this page, but what if you want to share with the off-line world? You can download & print these Get Out The Vote messages to spread the word to your friends, family & neighbors that voting matters. Suitable for dorm rooms, cubicles, church bulletins and more–wherever a pdf is most convenient!
...or check out the cartoons!
Remember, you're voting not just for the candidates, you're voting to retain control over your own body. To further demonstrate our point, we've created a few animated scenes to illustrate the issues. Click the thumbnails below to see.
Macromedia Flash Player is required to view the above animations.
For volunteer information, email us your name, address, and phone number. To get the latest updates emailed directly to your inbox, join the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
Legislative wrap-up
March 15, 2006
The 2006 session of the Indiana General Assembly has come to a close without the passage of any anti-choice legislation.
Both HB 1080, which could have closed Indiana's abortion facilities on a technicality, and HB 1172, which could have required doctors to give abortion patients unproven information on fetal pain and controversial declarations about the beginning of life, have died.
Members of the House and Senate could not reconcile the differing versions of these bills; as a result, the women of Indiana will have continued access to safe, legal abortion services. We have yet to see whether this will move ISDH to change any of its proposed regulations for abortion clinic licensure, or whether they will be resubmitted for the governor's signature as they were last December.
There was a piece of pro-choice legislation passed: HB 1314 will require the state department of health (ISDH) to study the problem of drug, alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, and to examine existing treatment programs in order to replicate the success of those programs statewide.
For more, see below or visit our legislative page.
What next?
Indiana legislators have gone home until January 2007. When they reconvene, many of them will again be attacking reproductive freedom. Sen. Jeff Drozda has already told the Indianapolis Star that he expects the full legislature to vote next year on an abortion ban akin to South Dakota's. (HB 1096, introduced here this year, will not carry over; the idea will be reintroduced and assigned a new number).
In the meantime, there is an election this fall. In November, all state representatives and half of Indiana's state senators—including Sen. Drozda—are up for re-election. You can make a difference by volunteering for voter registration and education drives, or by donating to the Planned Parenthood Advocates PAC.
"Sometimes it's easier to change legislators than to change a legislator's mind." —Louie Mahern, former Indiana state senator
For volunteer information, email us your name, address, and phone number. To get the latest updates emailed directly to your inbox, join the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
March 9, 2006
Both HB 1080 and HB 1172 are currently in conference committee. The women of Indiana wait on pins and needles to see if their fate will align with that of South Dakota and Mississippi, where both state legislatures have just passed measures completely banning abortion. South Dakota's ban has already been signed into law by Gov. Mike Rounds.
For more on HB 1080 and HB 1172, see below or visit our legislative page. To get the latest updates emailed directly to your inbox, join the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
While Indiana may yet become the first state in the union to end access to abortion without making it illegal, the South Dakota and Mississippi laws have been passed to serve as direct challenges to Roe v. Wade (much like HB 1096 was introduced here). If Roe is overturned, decisions about access to sex ed, contraception, and abortion will be made by each individual state.
The onslaught of attacks on reproductive freedom are making headlines. Read the responses.
March 2, 2006
As of today, the Indiana Senate passed HB 1314 as written, and passed both HB 1080 and 1172 with substantial amendments—but we can't declare victory quite yet.
- HB 1080, which would have closed Indiana's abortion clinics, has been amended to ensure patient safety, respect the authority of the state department of health, and still allow abortion providers enough flexibility to continue services.
- HB 1172, which would have forced doctors to give potential abortion patients false, misleading, politically motivated information, has been amended to remove unprovable statements on fetal pain and controversial declarations about the beginning of life. It does still require information to be given to patients in writing, and adds more information on adoption.
- HB 1314 requires the state department of health to study the problem of drug, alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, and to examine existing treatment programs in order to replicate those programs statewide.
Members of our Action Network have sent over 4,500 emails to Indiana legislators in this session. Your calls and emails have made a difference! Thank you! But we can't rest yet:
HBs 1080 and 1172 left the Senate with considerable changes. It is likely that both will now be decided in a conference committee.
At that point, the fate of both bills will rest in the hands of just four legislators. The conference committee can choose to finalize either the House version of the bills (bad idea), the Senate version of the bills (good idea), or compromise between the two (unknown idea).
Trust Planned Parenthood Advocates to keep you informed as these bills keep moving. We will call on our supporters if necessary. If you're not already a member, please join the Planned Parenthood Action Network today to stay informed.
Your commitment helps. Our work thus far has been tremendous, and conspicuous. Today, the Indiana Senate voted to trust doctors, respect religious diversity, and restore the reasonable and proper regulatory duties of the administration. The chair of the Health & Provider Services Committee, Sen. Patricia Miller, spoke to the heart of the matter: all of us must work together to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
Our message is being heard in the legislature!! Thanks again for supporting reproductive freedom!!
February 16, 2006
Today in the state Senate Health and Provider Services committee, testimony was heard on House Bills 1080 and 1172, which we have been following throughout this legislative session. Read testimony (as pdfs) by Rabbi Dennis Sasso of the Jewish Community Relations Council and Kaye McSpadden of the Indiana Religious Coaltion for Reproductive Choice.
These measures will threaten access to contraception, invade the doctor-patient relationship, and regulate health care providers out of existence.
House Bill 1080 overrides the authority of the state department of health in order to close abortion clinics.
House Bill 1172 magically solves several questions of medical ethics with fabrication and deception. You may expect a politician to lie to you, but would you ever suspect a politician would make a doctor lie to you? In addition, we may see an amendment to HB 1172 to allow pharmacists the right to refuse to dispense birth control.
No votes were taken today; the Health and Provider Services committee will hear and vote on amendments, as well as the bills themselves, next Wednesday, February 22. Committee hearings are open to the public; you are welcome to attend.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana will continue to fight these bills, and keep you posted on our progress. Please spread the word and invite your friends and family to join the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
Take action against the legislation of a single morality, of falsehood, and of harassment!
CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR TODAY! (800) 382-9467
February 7, 2006
The deadline for 2006 bills to be passed in the chamber of origin has passed (bills that were not passed are now dead for this session). Although HB 1096—the abortion ban noted previously on this page—and SB 237 did not themselves receive hearings, their spirit and intent were amended into HB 1080 and HB 1172, which both passed house votes on 2/1/06. Read on for details, and visit Indiana's Legislative Services Agency to find out how your representative voted (enter the bill number and look for the roll call). Take Action against HB 1080 and HB 1172!
In addition, HB 1314, which takes the first steps toward ending drug, alcohol, and tobacco use by pregnant women, passed its third reading in the house and will move to the senate. Take Action to support HB 1314!
HB 1080
HB 1080 was stripped and reanimated with the clinic regulations that Indiana Right to Life proposed, and the state department of health (ISDH) rejected, from the abortion clinic licensure process. These regulations remove the normal exemption from physical plant standards issued to all other medical providers and now require abortion clinics to meet strict physical standards by January 2007.
Meeting the physical standards means millions of dollars in renovation or new construction; the women of Indiana will be without options for safe, legal abortion for months or even years before existing clinics could meet the new standards.
It was not the intention of ISDH to close clinic doors. However, that was exactly the intention of Indiana Right to Life. Without a medical professional to turn to, women may turn to dangerous means to end an unintended pregnancy. Tell your representative to protect the health and safety of Indiana women—take action against HB 1080!
HB 1172
HB 1172, as it passed out of committee, stands, would amend Indiana's informed consent to abortion law to require a doctor to inform every pregnant woman in writing:
- life begins at conception
- the fetus may feel pain
- anesthetics are available to fetuses of at least 20 weeks' gestational age.
An amendment to allow a health professional to offer her/his own medical judgment of these "facts" was voted down.
Committee members who voted for this bill say they did so to reduce the number of abortions in Indiana. In reality, the new requirements place ideology over science, and will not eradicate abortion. Tell your legislator that the only way to reduce the abortion rate is to increase access to birth control and comprehensive sex education—take action against HB 1172!
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana is appalled by these outrageous attempts to limit necessary medical services. We stand strong to protect every Hoosier's right to decide for her/himself if, when, and how to become a parent. Indiana's abortion rate can be lowered--and Indiana citizens better served--by implementing laws and programs to improve access to contraception and sex education.
More 2006 legislation
 Roe about more than abortion
January 20, 2006
Tell your legislator you want to make your own decisions about when and if you become a parent.
The debate over abortion has raged on since the days of Socrates when, while criminal, abortion was very much part of society. History tells us, whether legal or illegal, abortion has and will always have a presence in our society. The occurrence of abortion is not the result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, but rather directly tied to the occurrence of unintended pregnancy.
It is estimated that some half of all pregnancies are unintended, and some half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.
So long as the focus is on banning or eliminating access to abortion, nothing will reduce its occurrence. The answer lies in a much more comprehensive approach of family planning, education, and increased access to contraceptives.
Unfortunately, many of those who oppose abortion also oppose comprehensive sex education, emergency contraception, and sometimes all forms of birth control. Without access to these basic health services, there will be more unintended pregnancies, and therefore an increase in the occurrence of abortion.
Estimates show that emergency contraception could prevent 1.7 million unintended pregnancies and 800,000 abortions annually. Yet pharmacists across the country are refusing to fill legal prescriptions for emergency contraception because of their own personal biases. And legislators across the country are introducing legislation to permit such refusals.
Right here in Indiana the attorney general tried to seize the personal, private medical records of young women seeking, not abortion, but reproductive health services. Such efforts deter women from seeking services that will further reduce unintended pregnancy.
What’s been lost in the 33 years since Roe was decided is the notion that this landmark decision is about much more than the right to abortion. It’s about medical privacy, the right to time pregnancies and space births, and plan families that parents can sustain and support, without government interference.
Roe v. Wade is about self-determination and bodily integrity. Measures such as HB 1096 (criminalizing abortion) introduced by Rep. Woodruff, do nothing to settle the centuries-old debate. Rather they leave women facing unintended pregnancies, to fend for themselves, seek to place doctors behind bars, and expand the role of government in an extraordinarily dangerous way.
If the role of government is to ban abortion, then we must ask; what other decisions will our government make for us? Will we see more discourse on “unauthorized reproduction,” a measure which sought to require court permits and state-mandated assessments for those who could not conceive naturally? Gov. Daniels warned in his recent state of the state address, “Hoosiers, by reputation are cautious of big government;” when it comes to reproductive health decisions, they have every right to be.
On this 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, let us agree that reducing the occurrence of abortion is a shared goal. Eliminating access only jeopardizes the health and safety of women and the families they care for. It will not curb its occurrence. Let us join together to educate and to make family planning affordable, accessible, and private, for all Hoosiers.
Abortions illegal in Indiana?
January 5, 2006
Today, Rep. Troy Woodruff filed a bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana.
Less than 24 hours after Speaker of the House Brian Bosma promised to uphold the law of the land, we face HB 1096, which mocks both the U.S. and Indiana constitutions. HB 1096 would derail decades of progress for women's rights and make what has been a safe, legal procedure a Class C felony. Doctors convicted of performing abortions would serve two- to eight-year prison terms.
Rep. Woodruff said he filed the bill knowing that such a law would be challenged in court, and anticipating changes in the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court that might well rule in favor of an outright abortion ban.
Tell your legislator you want to make your own decisions about when and if you become a parent.
This legislative session will be a long, hard fight to safeguard our rights from anti-choice lawmakers. Help our legislative efforts--donate today!
Criminalizing abortion does not eradicate it. Around the world, approximately 65,000 women die each year from unsafe, illegal abortions. Latin American countries, which currently have the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world, also have the highest abortion and abortion complication rates in the world.
It is estimated that before Roe v. Wade, the number of illegal abortions performed annually in the U.S. was one million; tens of thousands of women every year needed emergency medical attention because of illegal, unsafe abortions. Women of color were four times as likely as white women to die from complications, largely due to economic factors involved in finding a safe provider: "The illegality of abortion had produced a public-health disaster--especially for low-income and minority women." (Reagan, Leslie J. When Abortion Was a Crime. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.) Roughly 60% of Planned Parenthood clients are at or below poverty levels--exactly the group that would be hurt the most by re-criminalization of abortion.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana is appalled by this attempt to send women back to the back alley. We stand strong to protect every Hoosier's right to decide for her/himself if, when, and how to become a parent. Indiana's abortion rate can be lowered--and Indiana citizens better served--by implementing laws and programs to improve access to contraception and sex education.
More 2006 legislation
2008 news • 2007 news
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