It’s time to let voters weigh in on reproductive freedom in Indiana
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In 2022, Indiana Republicans voted to strip Hoosier women of their right to an abortion. Now, Indiana women only have access to abortion in extreme circumstances. With this ruling, Indiana has moved backward from the standard of care set by 50 years of Roe v. Wade’s protection of personal privacy.
Across the state, women are enraged by the state taking away their right to an abortion. Until abortion is legal and accessible, we must not give up this fight. As the old saying goes, we have lost the battle, but not the war. Even now, dedicated groups across the country are strategizing on how to fight these bans.
On Nov. 16 and 17, I attended the Midwest Abortion Access and Reproductive Care Progressive Governance Academy meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two-day meeting brought together legislators and other leaders of reproductive health and justice from across the Midwest. Together, we addressed productive ways to deal with these bans and best serve the women in our communities who need abortion care and other forms of women’s reproductive health.
For 17 years I served as the Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. In those 17 years, women from all walks of life entered our doors. I saw women who needed help, women who were scared and women who were just relieved. But they all had one key thing in common: They had a choice. That choice no longer exists in our state.
Bans don’t end abortions, but they raise barriers, especially for individuals experiencing poverty. Axios reports that in just the first six months of 2023, the number of abortions in Indiana decreased by 3% compared to the same period in 2020. This was before Indiana’s abortion ban even came into effect. Since the overturn of Roe, states neighboring those with new abortion bans experienced a rise in those who travel to other states for abortion care. Notably, Illinois saw a staggering 70% increase, or about 18,300 abortions.
Nationwide data shows us that abortions haven’t ended, only the access to safe providers. In a post-Roe landscape, the overall number of abortions has risen. If the goal of conservatives is to end abortion, outlawing and restricting access is not working. Instead, we should take data-driven approaches that empower women to take control of their reproductive health. When women have access to reliable reproductive health care like contraceptives, abortion rates drop. Comprehensive, medically accurate sex education has been proven to lower the number of unintended pregnancies, especially in teens. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 65% of Americans indicated that more support for women during pregnancy would help lower abortion numbers. A more proactive way to minimize abortions is to invest in more comprehensive care for women and their families.
But despite Indiana’s regressive law enacted by the Republican supermajority, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We can take action to reverse the ban; we can give power to the people.
On Nov. 7, Ohio voters passed a referendum to enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitution. Ohioans spoke loud and clear: Women deserve to make their own reproductive choices, free of government interference. Hoosiers are similar to our Ohio neighbors in many ways. Given the opportunity to vote on abortion, I have no doubt that the results in Indiana will be very similar to the results in Ohio, Kansas and Kentucky, other red states whose citizens have direct access to the ballot box.
Indiana lacks ballot-led initiatives. More than 80% of Hoosiers are in favor of some form of abortion access, yet our Republican lawmakers acted against the will of the people by passing a sweeping abortion ban. Data shows us that if Hoosiers are given the freedom to repeal the ban, they will flock to the polls to do just that. We must push for ballot-led initiatives to accurately reflect the will of Hoosiers.
Having had the opportunity to convene with other leaders, I am inspired by the many legislators, educators, health professionals and advocates working tirelessly to fight for choice. With the support of my fellow advocates, I am fired up and ready to fight for reproductive freedom in Indiana.
It is easy to fall into despair during these difficult times. But we are not alone. In the Midwest, there are droves of advocates fighting for a woman’s right to choose. We are not the minority.
Women deserve the right to choose. Women deserve the right to make their own healthcare decisions. Women deserve access to safe, affordable reproductive care. Amid these transparently anti-women policies, we must continue to make our voices heard until we achieve reproductive freedom for all.
