As the U.S. Supreme Court rightfully returned the issue of abortion back to the states, I joined my fellow legislators during the recent special session to strengthen protections for the unborn and women. As a strong advocate for protecting life at all stages, the newly passed law is a significant step forward for Indiana and Hoosier families.
The new law, Senate Enrolled Act 1, limits abortion to cases of rape, incest, life of the mother and lethal fetal anomalies. To create a safe environment for women and ensure the best medical care possible, abortion procedures will be moved to hospitals or hospital-owned ambulatory centers. Many suggest law will stop about 95% of the over 8,400 abortions each year in the Hoosier state – saving thousands of lives. Doctors will lose their licenses for performing an illegal abortion, but will not face any new criminal penalties. Women will not be criminalized for seeking an abortion.
Under the new law, a woman who is a victim of rape or incest could receive an abortion up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy. During the amendment process, I voted in favor of extending this timeline up to 20 weeks because it's believed that the longer a woman is pregnant, it becomes more likely she will carry the pregnancy to term. Unfortunately, this change was not approved. My goal was to save as many babies as possible. To prevent unwanted pregnancies, I also voted to increase the access to and affordability of contraception, but the measure failed. However, it's expected that lawmakers will revisit the issue during the 2023 legislative session. Birth control is a proven way to help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and I support making it easier to obtain.
We coupled our actions to protect life with substantial increases in support for Hoosier families, especially pregnant women, new moms and babies. Under the new law, more than $74 million is directed to both government and nonprofit programs that are dedicated to increasing maternal and infant health.
Real Alternatives, a nonprofit organization, is one of the programs to receive a funding boost as they offer counseling and education for new parents. In addition, Indiana's Child Care Development Fund received $10 million to help families with child care needs so they may work, attend training or continue their education. You can access the state's online child care finder at in.gov/fssa/childcarefinder.
Indiana's life-saving Safe Haven Baby Box program, which is a last resort option for new moms in crisis, also received funding. Under Indiana's Safe Haven Law, newborn babies less than 30 days old can be unanimously surrendered to any hospital emergency room, fire station or police station without fear of prosecution. Baby boxes are life-saving devices located on external walls of fire stations or hospitals, temperature controlled and have a dual-alarm system to notify staff if a baby is placed inside. In Southern Indiana, baby boxes are located at the Paoli fire station, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center Ambulance Station, and at the Boonville fire station. I'm looking forward to helping other communities install Baby Boxes throughout my district. Please contact me if you need assistance.
Under the new law, Hoosiers will no longer have to pay sales tax on diapers, which could save the average family over $60 each year per child. To encourage more families to consider adoption, Indiana's adoption tax credit will be increased from $1,000 to $2,500, and there's a new $3,000 income tax exemption for adoptive families.
In all, Indiana's new law has the potential to save thousands of innocent lives while increasing our state's infant and maternal health. As one of the first states to act after the historic overturning of Roe, I believe we took strong steps to protect the unborn and women, and I will continue to advocate for life at all stages. Please contact me anytime at 317-232-9863 or at H74@iga.in.gov to share your ideas on how Indiana can do more for families.
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State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) represents House District 74,
which includes portions of Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford and Orange counties.
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