Final abortion vote is near | Indiana remembers Walorski

Indiana is close to sending its near-total abortion ban to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

The bill just barely passed the Senate last weekend, before it moved over to the House for consideration. The House is poised to vote on the measure today. If the Senate concurs with the changes in the bill, it'll go straight to Holcomb. If not, session could drag out a bit longer, and things could get messier.

On Thursday, a majority of House Republicans voted to remove exceptions for rape and incest from the proposed ban. The measure failed 39-61, even without the support from the majority of Republicans, because every Democrat voted against it.

The vote split on that amendment shows the continued disagreement within the Republican party of how far the abortion bill should go, and the delicate position the bill is in ahead of the House vote.

Here's how every House lawmaker voted.

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Indiana remembers Rep. Walorski

Indiana legislative leaders are mourning after U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski died in a car crash earlier this week. Her tragic death leaves a vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and leaves voters in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes South Bend and Elkhart, without representation in the U.S. House. Indiana law and the U.S. Constitution dictates what should happen in this case: a special election must be called by the state's governor to fill the vacancy.

With the seat already on the November ballot, though, that's unlikely.

Three other people were killed in the crash. Zachery Potts, 27, and Emma Thomson, 28, were with Walorski. The driver of the other vehicle, Edith Schmucker, 56, of Nappanee, also was killed.

Potts was the chairman of the St. Joseph County Republican Party. Thomson was Walorski's communications director. The group was returning from a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Claypool, Indiana, at a soybean processing facility.

Walorski, 58, has served Indiana's 2nd district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. Prior to that, she was in the Indiana Senate.

Sex ed could lower unintended pregnancies, but Indiana doesn't require it

During a press conference to introduce Senate Bill 1, the bill's author, Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange said: "We have a number of pregnancies in the state of Indiana that are a result of, I don't want to say ignorance but, a lack of understanding of people's bodies."

Could that be because the state doesn't require schools teach sex ed? Maybe. It's unclear what students are actually learning about their bodies or sex. The state doesn't require it be taught and doesn't track which schools teach sex ed or what curriculum they use.

But studies show comprehensive, medically-accurate sex ed is one of the most effective ways to reduce unintended pregnancies in teenagers, who account for approximately 10% of all abortions in the state annually.

• Another way to decrease unwanted pregnancies: Health experts say lawmakers should up access to contraceptives.

Banning abortions in clinics would reduce Hoosiers' access to care, advocates say

The latest version of Indiana’s bill to ban almost all abortions in the state would prohibit both medication and surgical versions of the procedure from being administered in abortion clinics in the rare instance when they're permitted.

Currently, 98% of abortions in Indiana take place in abortion clinics, such as those offered by Planned Parenthood.

Indiana’s 11 Planned Parenthood facilities would stay open in the state, according to the organization, even if they’re no longer allowed to offer abortion services. Only four of its centers currently offer abortion procedures, while all locations offer comprehensive reproductive health care services, she said.

Christian lawmakers legislate their faith into Indiana abortion ban

Biblical references have dominated Republican lawmakers’ discussion on amendments to the abortion bill and during the vote on Saturday.

The vast majority of Indiana lawmakers identify as Christian, though even they seem divided on the issue. At times last Thursday, as lawmakers were considering an amendment that would remove exceptions for rape and incest, both Republicans who wanted more restrictions and those who wanted less argued that they were doing it in Jesus’ name.

An issue at the heart of the debate was whether legislators’ religious or moral beliefs should dictate the law on such a divisive issue where there is far from universal consensus. A majority of Hoosiers support abortions in cases of rape and life of the pregnant person, according to a July survey by the COVID States Project. More Hoosiers surveyed opposed than supported abortion after six weeks of pregnancy the survey found, but neither group had a majority.

“We’re standing up for what we believe our Lord and savior wants us to do, to value all life,” said Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, who is a member of First Baptist Church of Anderson, during last Thursday night’s Senate debate on amendments.

Lafayette Republican Sen. Ron Alting, who voted to keep more broad exceptions in the bill, addressed those who wanted to nix them, “Please know you’re no closer to God than some of us who are going to vote against this.”

Don't expect an abortion referendum here

Voters in Kansas overwhelmingly chose to protect abortion access in a referendum vote this week. So why isn't Indiana offering the same option to Hoosier voters?

The only type of legally binding statewide referendum allowed in Indiana is to change Indiana's Constitution. To place a constitutional amendment up for a vote on the ballot, two separately elected legislatures need to pass a proposed constitutional amendment with identical wording. That's a high bar -- and it would take years. Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville dismissed the idea of a ballot question.

"It is a representative government that we have, and it's our job to determine and communicate with our constituents and make decisions based upon that," Bray said. "We're accountable to our constituents, and every four years at least over here in the Senate, they decide whether we we stay or whether we go."

Pence makes political stop in Indiana

Vice President Mike Pence joined Americans for Prosperity in Hobart, Indiana this week to highlight the high gas prices, and throw Democrats under the bus.

AFP rolled back the price of gasoline at a local gas station to what it was the day before President Joe Biden became president. Of course, in Indiana Republicans are at least partially to blame for gas prices because they set the state gas tax.

What's perhaps most notable about the stop: it was in Indiana's 1st Congressional District, which Republicans are hoping to flip.

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Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing Kaitlin.Lange@IndyStar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Final abortion vote is near | Indiana remembers Walorski