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Indiana has become the first state to pass a near-total abortion ban following theoverturning ofRoe v. Wade.
On Friday evening, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill after the Indiana House and Senate passed it earlier in the day. The House advanced the bill 62-38 before the Republican-led state Senate approved it 28-19, theAssociated Pressreported.
The bill will provide exceptions, however, in some cases of rape or incest, when there is a fatal fetal abnormality, or when the pregnant individual faces certain health risks,CNNreported.
“These actions followed long days of hearings filled with sobering and personal testimony from citizens and elected representatives on this emotional and complex topic,” Holcomb, 54, said in astatement. “Ultimately, those voices shaped and informed the final contents of the legislation and its carefully negotiated exceptions to address some of the unthinkable circumstances a woman or unborn child might face.”
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Indiana was one of the first Republican-dominated state legislatures to try to obtain tighter abortion rulings after the U.S. Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade, the landmark decision of 1973 that granted people the right to an abortion in every state, in June.
West Virginia lawmakers were almost the first to pass an abortion ban late last month, but it currently remains in limbo with the two chambers of the legislature failing to come to an agreement on how the bill should proceed.
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Late Tuesday night, the White House released astatementfrom PresidentJoe Bidenafter voters in Kansas shot down a referendum to the State Constitution, preserving abortion rights throughout the state in the process.
“The majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion, Biden, 79, said. “The Supreme Court’s extreme decision to overturnRoe v. Wadeput women’s health and lives at risk.”
“Tonight, the American people had something to say about it. Voters in Kansas turned out in record numbers to reject extreme efforts to amend the state constitution to take away a woman’s right to choose and open the door for a state-wide ban,” he continued.
Biden added, “This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions.”
source: people.com
