Republican legislative leaders still support restricting abortion in Indiana if the Supreme Court gives the green light, but they say they don’t know what form that would take.
House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray led 100 of the 110 legislative Republicans in asking Governor Holcomb in March to call a special session if the Court scales back or strikes down Roe v. Wade. But Bray says he hasn’t seen a bill draft yet, and he and Huston both say they don’t know what Republicans will ultimately propose.
For one thing, Bray notes despite a leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito which would uproot Roe, it’s still unknown what the Court will ultimately decide. Depending on how much leeway the Court allows, Bray says legislators might introduce a complete abortion ban, or move the cutoff date for legal abortion to 15 weeks of pregnancy, the standard the Court is reviewing in a Mississippi case.
And Huston says while “the vast majority” of House Republicans oppose abortion, there’s a wide spectrum of views on whether to ban it completely, allow exceptions only where the mother’s health is at risk, or allow exceptions for rape and incest.
Holcomb has left the door open to calling a special session but has said he’ll need to review the eventual Court ruling before deciding. Bray acknowledges the issue may wait till the next regular session in January, vowing committees will thoroughly review any legislation regardless of whether that happens this year or next.
