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Anticipating several weeks of committee hearings and public testimony on the issue of abortion rights, Indiana lawmakers, in coordination with Gov. Eric Holcomb, have postponed the scheduled start date of their special session from July 6 to July 25.
Holcomb announced June 22 that he was calling lawmakers back to the Indiana Statehouse on July 6 to consider his plan to send $1 billion in refunds to Hoosier taxpayers in response to rising consumer prices.
In light of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, lawmakers are now expecting “a multi-week special session” to discuss abortion legislation, House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Temp Rodric Bray announced in a news release Wednesday.
The special session will still officially start on July 6, but lawmakers won’t start the legislative process until July 25. According to state law, legislators have up to 40 calendar days to complete their work once the session begins. Further details about the special session and potential legislation are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Only the governor can call the Legislature into special session—something the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed earlier this year. But once lawmakers are at the Statehouse, their work is not limited by time or scope.
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I am shocked, I tell you! Shocked!
They’re hoping that there will be fewer protestors in 3 weeks.
They are cowards who don’t want to face Hoosiers expressing their 1A rights.
I do hope that Eric Holcomb understands that he is not king, just governor. He is supposed to represent the citizens of Indiana. He has already stated he is pro-life, but that is not how 2/3 of the people poled feel.
Holcomb can’t even veto something if it is passed. He can guide and suggest, but he has almost no control over what lawmakers can do. Your anger should be aimed at you State Representative or Senator.
Or he can veto it, it can just be voted on by the same people that approved it the first time and it becomes law.
2/3 of WHAT people, Barbara? Secular-Humanists? Planned Parenthood operatives? Democrats?
Dream on if you think 2/3 of Hoosiers favor butchering babies in the womb. This isn’t California or New York…but you’re free to move there if you like. Need help packing?
@ Bob The 2/3 of We The People who didn’t vote for Trump, probably….
Jolf R: If you really think 2/3 of the legitimate, registered voters in this country who did vote, did not vote for Donald Trump, you must be smoking the same thing as is Barbara. Go watch 2000 Mules and educate yourself as to how this dementia-addled old fool, a tool of George Soros and other assorted America-hating globalists, pushed Biden’s sorry posterior into office.
Be better, Bob.
https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762
“Hoosiers are evenly split in their opinions on this issue, with 19% of Hoosiers expressing support for legal abortion in all cases compared to 17% who thought it should be illegal in all cases. Another 29% of Hoosiers said abortion should be legal in most cases compared to 28% who said it should be illegal in most cases. “
If legislators really cared, they’d ask us. They have no plans to do so. Nor are they going to pass a bill that makes both sides equally happy or unhappy.
https://bowencenterforpublicaffairs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Hoosier-Survey-2019.pdf
More data:
“ Indiana still allows abortions through 22 weeks at seven state-approved abortion centers. State law requires two separate visits for an abortion – one for paperwork, and one for the actual procedure – and ensures nearly all abortions are carried out in the first 13 weeks.
There were 7,756 abortions in Indiana in 2020, according to the latest Indiana Department of Health data. Of those, 7,372 were for Indiana residents.
Nearly 68% of abortions took place in the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy. Most patients were unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 29. About 49% of abortions were for White women, and 39% were Black.”
https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2022/06/28/indiana-lawmakers-silent-on-possible-abortion-bills/
A one party super majority isn’t much different from a Monarchy . They both will fail to serve the people they rule over.
Can someone explain why decisions take so long? A “multi-week session”, “40 days” to complete work? Understandably, all facts are needed to result in a good decision for the people, but there seems to be no logic to weeks and weeks of delays for even the simplest of decisions. The law of diminishing return…adding more bureaucrats and lawmakers to the mix does not result in improved efficiency.
Especially when the bill in question will, if the Legislature operates as it usually does, will be written in a behind-closed-doors caucus meeting. Public input? Not happening.
Your chance at public input on this bill is November 8th.
The repeal of Roe gives Indiana the opportunity to have nuanced abortion law. Parents should have rights until age 18. Fathers should have rights and be a part of the decision. The courts could step in if there is an impasse. Abortion can be legal until 13 weeks. A severe threat to the woman’s life, would be an exception later in pregnancy.
Can someone tell me about these cases in which a woman got an abortion and the man didn’t want her to? I’m not denying it doesn’t happen, but in most cases, aren’t the roles reversed?
And if we’re going to have more unmarried women bringing children into the world, we need to seriously step up resources for enforcement of men who do not pay their child support obligations.
Part of the nuance must be that the State of Indiana pays for a minimum of one year PAID maternity leave, full pre-natal and neonatal healthcare coverage, which includes mental
health services, assistance with diapers, formula, baby clothes, etc. Funding for pre-K also needs to be greatly expanded. And, WIC and other assistance programs should be expanded. The state also needs to direct funding and urgency to all the children in foster care, bolster CPS, and provide more funding for children in the juvenile justice system.
I am glad there was a delay to the special session, as all these expanded services will cost money, and now it will be the perfect time to drop Holcomb’s frivolous distraction of the taxpayer refund on the junk heap where it belongs.
If Indiana was truly a pro-life state, we would’ve done that stuff many years ago to both help women and to reduce the number of abortions performed in the state of Indiana.
That our legislators are only paying lip service to the idea of expanding services for women now tells you that they realize how unpopular their abortion position will be… and they need political cover so not everyone realizes they’ve been far more anti abortion than they’ve been pro-life.
Quote: And if we’re going to have more unmarried women bringing children into the world, we need to seriously step up resources for enforcement of men who do not pay their child support obligations.
On this we agree, Joe B.
And here’s a prominent anti abortion campaigner giving away the plot – they want this opportunity to be used to guide more people towards religion.
“ Indiana Right to Life President Mike Fichter told reporters that private ministries, churches and other organizations should instead “step in” to help fill gaps in existing services for new and expectant families.”
“We shouldn’t look at this as just, ‘What can government do to help pregnant mothers?’ This is a really a call for Hoosiers to step up across the board,” he said. “We will certainly be looking for our legislature to lead the way … to affirm that every life has value, including every unborn child’s life. But at the same time, we must be a state that shows support and cares for pregnant mothers choosing life.”
Hoosiers have had 50 years to step up. They haven’t done so. To encourage state legislators to not step up because the churches will help “this time for sure” is ludicrous.
If Indiana is going to implement restrictive abortion laws (and to significantly cut the number of abortions, it will have to be six weeks if not sooner), they have to pair that with an increase in social services for women and children that dwarfs anything they have ever done, because Indiana already doesn’t support women/children enough. If they aren’t willing to do that, to make substantive changes on the social services front, they should ask themselves how truly pro-live they are.
https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2022/06/28/indiana-lawmakers-silent-on-possible-abortion-bills/
Instead of a refund can the government just fix our streets and highways properly. Would rather they earn my vote through doing their job instead of just trying to buy the vote.