Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb Signs Pro-Life Bill to Save Babies From Abortion

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Apr 30, 2021   |   10:20AM   |   Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a pro-life bill Thursday to ensure that mothers receive information about the abortion pill reversal procedure before going through with an abortion.

Indiana joins 10 other states with laws that require information about the life-saving abortion pill reversal protocol to be included as part of informed consent before a mother aborts her unborn baby.

WBIW News reports Holcomb signed the law Thursday after the state legislature passed it by a strong majority earlier this month.

Sponsored by state Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, the new law requires 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.

The law is slated to go into effect in July, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has hinted that it may sue, according to the report.

During a committee meeting, lawmakers heard testimony from an Indiana woman who found out about the abortion pill reversal protocol online after she regretted her abortion, according to the AP. The woman said her baby is alive today because of the life-saving procedure.

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“What we want to do is just provide the women with the information so you don’t have to Google it, because it is very time sensitive that you have this information,” Mayfield said, according to the report.

Doctors also testified in support of the legislation, including Dr. Christina Francis, president of the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs.

“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,” she told lawmakers earlier this spring.

Indiana Right to Life praised lawmakers for passing the important bill, noting that the abortion pill reversal protocol has saved more than 2,000 babies’ lives.

“The abortion pill reversal (APR) process has been proven to have high success rates in reversing chemically induced abortions when administered after a woman has taken the first pill in a chemical abortion’s two-pill process, but before the second pill is taken,” the pro-life organization said. “APR can literally be a lifesaver for the unborn babies of women who regret their decision after taking the first pill.”

The legislation did meet resistance from some Democrat lawmakers and pro-abortion groups. The American Civil Liberties Union blasted the bill, claiming it “runs afoul of the Constitution.”

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,” Indiana Public Media reports.

But research and medical experts indicate that the abortion pill reversal 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.

Along with the abortion pill reversal information, the law also requires the abortion facility to give a photo of the unborn baby’s ultrasound to the mother at least 18 hours before the abortion. 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 law requires that a parent’s signature consenting to an underage daughter’s abortion be notarized. It also extends conscience protections to mental health workers to protect them from being forced to help facilitate or counsel for an abortion. Additionally, it increases 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 drugs typically taken together to abort an unborn baby up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. 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 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.