Protections for Unborn Children Take Effect in IN; Heartbeat Law Blocked in OH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2022

Contact: Mary Owens, [email protected]

Hoosiers, Ohioans Have Expressed Their Clear Will to Protect Thousands of Lives

Washington, D.C. – Indiana’s SB 1, legislation signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb (R) that is expected to stop 95% of all elective abortions, went into effect today, hours after a county judge temporarily blocked a law in neighboring Ohio that protects unborn children when their heartbeat can be detected.

SBA Pro-Life America’s Director of State Affairs Sue Liebel reacted to the news in both states, saying:

“Shame on Judge Jenkins for siding with the abortion industry against the voices of Ohioans and their elected representatives. Appallingly, the Preterm Cleveland Clinic would use medical misinformation to scare women, benefitting their profit-driven abortion business,” said Liebel. “While the abortion industry is using the court system to silence pro-life voices and thwart the clear will of Ohioans, we celebrate that right next door, Indiana’s law protecting thousands of unborn children and their mothers from the horror of abortion takes effect today.

“Hoosiers have been committed to protecting unborn children and mothers from abortion. Now in the Dobbs era, elected officials listening to the voices of Hoosiers from across the state finally are able to modernize their laws to recognize the humanity of the unborn child. We’re grateful Governor Holcomb and Indiana legislators listened to the voices of Hoosiers and protected unborn children and their mothers.”

Indiana’s new law closes all abortion centers in the state, ensuring any abortions performed under certain exceptions are done in medical settings with necessary oversight, and ensuring the ability to treat life-threatening complications that abortion centers aren’t equipped to treat. The law allows for abortions in limited cases including pregnancies resulting from rape and incest, to protect the life of the mother, and if lethal fetal anomalies are diagnosed by a physician.

Liebel continued, “The people of both Indiana and Ohio, like the majority of Americans, stand with unborn children and their mothers. We look forward to the day when courts respect the democratic process and the clear will of Americans who want to protect life in our laws.”

Charlotte Lozier Institute Scholar and OB/GYN Dr. Ingrid Skop reacted to the news in Ohio, saying:

“As an OB/GYN with 25 years of experience in Texas where we have strong pro-life laws, it’s clear to me the laws in Ohio and in every other state with pro-life protections are not stopping doctors from giving necessary medical care to mothers. Ohio’s law prohibits intentionally killing an unborn child, that’s it. By misinforming the medical profession and public at large, the abortion industry is creating fear and confusion and putting politics over the safety of women. Medical associations need to rise above politics to guide physicians and help them overcome their fear to care for mothers facing life-threatening situations. The law explicitly allows them to do so, even if abortion advocates wish it wasn’t true.”

Since the Dobbs decision, more than a dozen states have taken action to protect life, with the potential to save more than 200,000 lives.

Charlotte Lozier Institute legal and medical analysis shows that all 23 states with strong pro-life laws currently on the books allow necessary and timely medical treatment for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and other procedures necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.

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