Pro-Life Law in Indiana to Be Enforced After Four Years

We take our victories where we find them.

Four years after Indiana’s governor signed a pro-life bill into law, that law finally went into effect on the first day of 2021.

Then-Governor Mike Pence approved a measure that requires women seeking abortions to get an ultrasound at least 18 hours before the abortionist kills her unborn baby. She may refuse to view the ultrasound or hear the heartbeat.

As technology has improved, we know much more about fetal development. Unborn babies in early pregnancy might have looked like a “clump of cells” before powerful imaging was available. Now we can see the baby’s developing body, with distinct and recognizable body parts. Abortion advocates dehumanize unborn babies as just part of the woman’s body, a parasite with no rights and no voice. Unborn babies are voiceless and vulnerable. Pro-life laws like waiting periods and the option to view sonogram images provide a cooling-off period, which might cause the woman to change her mind and decide to protect her child. Those who choose abortions are killing individuals, human beings with a right to live.

The Indy Star reported that Planned Parenthood dropped the lawsuit it filed against the state. One of the reasons is that the Fort Wayne location now has an ultrasound machine.

Curtis T. Hill, Jr., Indiana’s Attorney General, wrote on Twitter:

“We held the line in our commitment to respect women’s health and the sanctity of human life. Planned Parenthood folded because they saw the likelihood that they would lose their lawsuit if they persisted in fighting Indiana’s very reasonable and well-grounded law. For women considering abortions, ultrasounds are an important part of informed-consent counseling. Anyone interested in protecting women’s health, including their mental health, should support giving them as much information as possible to aid their decision-making.”

Even though Planned Parenthood dropped the lawsuit, the abortion giant still opposes the law, calling it “medically unnecessary” and claimed that it’s meant to “shame, stigmatize and restrict access to abortion.”

Indiana Right to Life expects to see a “significant drop in abortions” now that the law is in effect.

“Indiana’s ultrasound law will save lives,” states Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter. “Every woman deserves the opportunity to see an ultrasound image of her unborn baby in order to have ample opportunity to reconsider an abortion decision.”
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“Every woman should be provided with a photo of her baby’s ultrasound that she can take with her,” says Fichter.  “In addition, a copy of her baby’s ultrasound photo should be attached to her patient files to assist state health and safety inspectors in verifying the law is being met.  Currently, neither of these actions are required by law.  These are loopholes the Indiana legislature can easily close.”

Photo credit: American Life League (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved