The Indiana Senate passed life-saving legislation Tuesday to ensure mothers receive information about their unborn baby’s development and the abortion pill reversal procedure before going through with an abortion.
State House Bill 1577 passed by a strong majority in a 36-14 vote, with three Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it. After a concurrence vote in the House, the bill will go to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk.
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.
“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,” said Dr. Christina Francis, president of the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs and a board member of Indiana Right to Life.
Indiana Public Media reports state Sen. Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, also defended the bill, pointing to evidence of the success of abortion pill reversal treatments. More than 2,000 babies have been saved as a result of the life-saving process.
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“If you vote no on this bill, you’re saying, ‘If you’re a woman seeking abortion, you shouldn’t get all the information you need to make a decision,’” Brown said.
However, one of the opponents of the bill, state Sen. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, said the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believe the procedure is “experimental” and “unethical,” according to the report.
Local news reports also parroted pro-abortion groups’ claims that the abortion pill reversal procedure is “anti-science” and medical groups do not support it. But research and medical experts indicate that the abortion pill reversal procedure is safe and effective. 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.
“You want to talk about junk science? Talk to the women who regretted the first pill … you don’t want them to know there’s an option?” Brown responded. “All this is saying — before you take that second set of pills and if you’re having a change of thought — we’re going to give you all the information. You have a right to know.”
Francis, a Fort Wayne physician, said there are studies that show the abortion pill reversal procedure is safe and effective. She said women deserve to know about it as part of the informed consent process.
According to the AP, nine states have similar informed consent laws that include information about the abortion pill reversal process, but three are blocked by court challenges.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana hinted that it may sue Indiana if the bill passes, according to WLFI.
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. It also 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 accountability by making sure that abortion facilities with violations are not just rubber stamped for re-approval for their licenses.
The abortion pill reversal procedure works by counteracting the abortion drug mifepristone, one of two typically taken together to abort and then expel the unborn baby. Mifepristone makes the uterus inhospitable to new life by blocking the hormone progesterone. The reversal procedure involves giving the mother doses of progesterone to counteract the abortion drug. The abortion pill reversal procedure does not work after the mother takes the second drug, misoprostol, one or two days later.
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.
