By: Sarah Zhong
Last Saturday, Indiana’s new abortion ban resulted in immediate political and economic fallout, as some of the state’s major employers objected to the restrictions. Democratic leaders strategized ways to repeal the law, while abortion rights activists made plans to assign alternative locations for women seeking procedures.
The law the state legislature passed on Friday night and Governor Eric Holcomb signed moments later was the first ban in the state since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
After the legislation was signed into law, Eli Lilly, one of the state’s largest employers, warned that these laws would damage its employee recruiting efforts and said the company would look elsewhere for its expansion plans.
“We are concerned that this law will hinder Lilly’s-and Indiana’s-ability to attract diverse scientific engineering and business talent from around the world. Given this new law, we will be forced to plan for employment growth outside our home state,” the company said on Saturday.
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce said in a statement, “Such an expedited legislative process-rushing to advance state policy on broad, complex issues-is, at best, detrimental to Hoosiers, and at worst, reckless. Will the Indy region continue to attract tourism and convention investments?”
Indiana has thought about abortion restrictions for years, as it was a state where many traveled for abortion care. Now, as many nearby states–including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia–also consider abortion bans, patients may have to travel hundreds of miles for care. Elizabeth Nash, a policy expert at the Guttmacher Institute, said, “Patients in Ohio won’t be able to go to Indiana for access. They’ll have to get to, perhaps, Illinois or Michigan.”
“This has nothing to do with being ‘pro-life.’ It’s about power and control,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted.
Indiana might be just the beginning. Abortion rights advocates say that abortion could likely be severely restricted or banned in as many as half of the 50 states. Many people are fighting to gain back abortion rights, and even more, are protesting. They will hold their ground and continue to fight for their rights.