Indianapolis (AP) – President Joe Biden’s administration and one of Indiana’s largest employers have denounced the state’s new abortion ban, with the White House calling it another extreme attempt by Republicans to trample on women’s rights.
Indiana on Friday became the first state in the country to ratify such a law, as the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark 1973 case that protected abortion rights nationwide.
In a statement Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “As a result of the Supreme Court’s extreme decision to rule Roe v. The Indiana legislature took a disastrous step to repeal Wade and abolish women’s constitutionally protected abortion rights. “And it’s another radical move by Republican lawmakers to strip women of their reproductive rights and freedoms and place individual health decisions in the hands of politicians rather than women and their doctors.”
The ban, which comes into effect on September 15, includes a few exceptions. In cases of rape and incest, abortion is permitted after the 10th week of pregnancy; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; And when a malignant anomaly is diagnosed in a fetus. As once suggested, victims of rape and incest would not have to sign a notarized affidavit confirming an assault.
Under the law, abortions can only be performed in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, meaning all abortion clinics are losing their licenses. A doctor who performs an illegal abortion or fails to file the required report will lose his or her medical license.
Pharma giant Eli Lilly & Company, which employs 10,400 people at its Indianapolis headquarters, warned the ban could prompt it to reevaluate its Indiana presence.
“We are concerned that this law will prevent Lilly and Indiana from attracting diverse scientific, engineering and business talent from around the world,” the company said in a statement Saturday. “Although we have expanded the coverage of our employee health plan to include travel to fertility services that are not available locally, this may not be sufficient for some existing and prospective employees.”
“In light of this new law, we will be forced to plan for more job growth outside of our home state,” it said.
Lilly has research and development centers in New York City and the cities of San Diego and San Francisco, California, and earlier this year announced it would build a $700 million genetic medicine center in Boston.
The Indianapolis Star reported that in a July 21 letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, Lilly was not among more than 250 companies protesting abortion restrictions.
IU Health, Indiana’s largest health care system, said it is reviewing the new law.
“IU Health’s priority is to ensure that our doctors and patients have clarity when making decisions about pregnancy within the limits of the law. We must fully understand the terms of the new law and protect the safety of our providers and those seeking reproductive health care. It will take us the next few weeks to fully understand how to incorporate changes into our medical practice to care for people living with dementia.
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce urged the General Assembly to tread carefully.
“For the past two weeks, the Indiana General Assembly has discussed, in a tightened timeframe, a significant change in abortion policy,” the chamber said in a statement Thursday. “Such an accelerated legislative process — rushing to advance state policy on broad, complex issues — is detrimental to Hoosier at best and reckless at worst.”
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Watch AP’s full coverage of the Rowe vs. Wade flip here: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion
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