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| Photo Credit: AP. |
Indiana Friday became the first state to approve abortion ban after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade precedent which provided abortion rights to American women.
The state GOP governor immediately signed a near-total ban after lawmakers approved the bill.
When will Indiana abortion ban take effect?
The ban
takes effect on September 15 but includes some exceptions, The Associated Press
reports. The law grants abortion access in cases of rape and incest, before the
10-weeks post-fertilization period, to protect the life and physical health of
the mother as well as If a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly, according
to The Associated Press. Victims of rape and incest would not be required to
sign a notarized affidavit attesting to an attack as was earlier the case.
What is in for Indiana abortion ban?
Abortion can
be performed in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, according to
the law. The implication is that abortion clinics would lose their operating
licenses. Doctors who perform illegal abortion or fails to file required reports
may lose their medical license.
“I am personally most proud of each Hoosier
who came forward to courageously share their views in a debate that is unlikely
to cease any time soon,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in the statement announcing
that he had signed the measure, The Associated Press reported. “For my part as
your governor, I will continue to keep an open ear.”
Indiana Senate and House approves abortion ban
In July the
Republican controlled Senate approved the ban on a 28-19 vote while the House
approved the measure on a 62-38 ban.
In June the
Supreme Court had overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent which provided
unrestricted access to abortion by women of reproductive ages. Several states
had put in place so-called trigger laws to immediately take effect in the event
of a Supreme Court ban.
Ten
Republican senators voted against the legislation at the Senate, including a
number of senators who support abortion rights.
Republican
Sen. Vaneta Becker of Evansville, said the ban will interfere with women’s
medical choices, their lives and free will by setting strict limits on abortion
access in Indiana.
The Senate
President praised the work of the state General Assembly in the passage of the bill
which is now law.
“Happy to be
completed with this, one of the more challenging things that we’ve ever done as
a state General Assembly, at least certainly while I’ve been here,” Senate
President Pro-Tem Rodric Bray told reporters after the vote, according to The
Associated Press. “ I think this is a huge opportunity, and we’ll build on that
as we go forward from here.”