Indiana House lawmakers approved an expansive pro-life bill Monday that will ensure mothers receive information about their unborn baby’s development and the abortion pill reversal procedure before going through with an abortion.
WLFI News 18 reports the state House overwhelmingly supported House Bill 1577 in a 67-29 vote. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
Sponsored by state Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, the bill would require abortion facilities to inform mothers about the abortion pill reversal procedure, which can reverse the effects of a drug-induced abortion and may save her unborn baby’s life. It also would require abortion facilities to give women a photo of her unborn baby’s ultrasound image at least 18 hours before the abortion.
“You make abortion more unthinkable because you are providing the mother with additional information and alternatives to abortion,” Mayfield said.
The abortion pill reversal procedure has a high success rate in reversing the first of two abortion drugs and saving the unborn baby’s life.
Dr. Christina Francis, president of the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs and a board member of Indiana Right to Life, testified in favor of the bill earlier this month.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Indiana state lawmakers to urge support for the bill in the Senate.
“If we truly care about women being able to make informed choices, that should include knowing there’s an option if they change their mind,” Francis told lawmakers.
According to the local news, about 44 percent of the 7,600 abortions in Indiana annually are drug-induced, or medication, abortions.
“We are truly thankful to the House for passing this important legislation and are confident the Senate will take swift action on House Bill 1577 in the second half of this legislative session,” said Indiana Right to Life president and CEO Mike Fichter. “This legislation will save lives in Indiana.”
Nine other states have similar informed consent laws that include abortion pill reversal information, but three are blocked by legal challenges, the local news reports.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana hinted that it may sue Indiana if the bill passes, claiming it “runs afoul of the Constitution,” according to WLFI.
Though abortion activists try to discredit the abortion pill reversal procedure, research and medical experts indicate that it is safe and effective. Thousands of unborn babies have been saved from abortions as a result of the procedure.
The American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports it, and even a prestigious Yale School of Medicine doctor told the New York Times that the treatment “makes biological sense,” and he would recommend it to his own daughter.
Along with the abortion pill reversal information, the bill also would require that women receiving state-required informed consent counseling at least 18 hours prior to an abortion must be given a photo of their baby’s ultrasound. In addition, a copy of the photo must be attached to her file so that state inspectors can verify that the ultrasound was performed.
Additionally, the bill would require that a parent’s signature consenting to an underage daughter’s abortion must be notarized, and it would extend conscience protections to mental health workers to protect them from being forced to help facilitate or counsel for an abortion.
It also would increase health and safety accountability for abortion facilities by making sure that facilities with violations are not just rubber stamped for re-approval for their licenses.
Anyone who has taken the first abortion pill and wishes to stop the abortion is urged to immediately visit www.abortionpillreversal.com or call the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline at 877-558-0333.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Indiana state lawmakers to urge support for the bill in the Senate.
