Local GOP legislators split vote on abortion ban while Democrats united in opposition

Republican state legislators representing parts of Bartholomew County remained divided on a near-total abortion ban approved this past Friday, while their Democrats opponents in November up against the ban and said they plan to use the new restrictions as a campaign issue.

Indiana became the first state in the nation to pass legislation banning most abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1973 landmark case that had protected the right to abortion nationwide.

The ban, which takes effect Sept. 15, includes some exceptions. Abortions will be permitted in cases of rape and incest, before 10-weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly.

The measure cleared the House in a 62-38 vote on Friday evening. Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, and Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, voted in favor of the ban, while Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, who represents a portion of Bartholomew County, voted against it.

Lauer voted in favor of an amendment that would have removed rape and incest as exceptions to the abortion ban. The amendment ultimately failed and was not included in the bill that passed the House.

The Senate also voted 28-19 on Friday to send the bill to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk, who signed it into law shortly thereafter. Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, voted for the abortion ban, while Sen. Chip Perfect, R-Lawrenceburg, who represents a portion of Bartholomew County, voted against it.

In the Senate

Walker said he voted for the ban after “listening to hours of conversations and talking to friends and talking to constituents and reading hate mail and love mail.”

“In the balance of it, I wanted more than what the bill had,” Walker said.

Walker had voted in favor of a previous version of the ban that would have required those seeking abortions due to rape and incest to sign a notarized affidavit attesting to the reason for the abortion. The House later removed that provision and added a number of amendments before sending the measure back to the Senate.

Walker had made previous comments that he believes public policy should minimize women’s ability to choose to get abortions. When asked Monday why he feels public policy should play a role in that decision, Walker said, “because our whole future as a country and nation are based upon the success of our families, and we’re not seeing the kind of outcomes we’d like to see to grow the state of Indiana.”

“Just from a practical standpoint, you have to have population growth to grow your economy, to expand your opportunities, and so that’s one big public community interest (in banning abortions), but it’s certainly not the only one,” Walker said. “The continuation of the population of our country, whether it’s through immigration or whether it’s through natural childbirth, there’s a strong public interest in us existing into the future, and doing things to encourage healthy growth of families is good public policy.”

Walker also voted against a bill that provides funding for existing and new state programs seeking to support, among other things, health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers and infants, saying that the measure didn’t go far enough in support new and expectant mothers.

“I just felt like we almost did nothing more than give lip service to the impact on families we could have had in a very supportive way, a compassionate way,” Walker said. “…We’re not looking at our future with the right lens to say, ‘Let’s protect the child in the womb,’ but then we’re not really interested in what course of life they have after they’re born. It’s inconsistent.”

Perfect did not respond to a request about why he voted against banning most abortions in Indiana.

In the House

Lauer voted in favor of the ban, though he was seeking a more restrictive bill and voted in favor of an amendment that would have removed exceptions for rape and incest.

The vote reflected comments Lauer made to The Republic before the vote in which he expressed support for exemptions only when the life of the mother is at risk.

Lauer did not respond to requests for comment on Monday but said last week that “the bill as it stands … is moving in a more pro-life direction when it comes to the exemptions.”

“In its final form, I want to see the bill strengthen protections for the unborn and for Hoosier mothers, and I’m confident that we’ll find a way forward,” Lauer said last week.

Eberhart, who voted against the abortion ban, was unavailable for comment on his opposition to the abortion ban. Eberhart is retiring as a legislator in November.

Opponents in the fall

While Republican legislators representing parts of Bartholomew County were divided on the abortion ban, Democrats seeking to unseat Walker and Lauer in the November election are united in their opposition to the restrictions.

Attorney Ross Thomas, who is challenging Lauer in the general election, said he is “strongly opposed” to the abortion ban, characterizing it as a “huge government overreach” and “radical agenda”that most people in the state don’t agree with. He also expressed concerns about the practicality of enforcing the law and the vague wording of some of its provisions.

“The majority of people in this state are not on the same page when it comes to women’s health. That was the (GOP’s) agenda. They wanted to push it through, and they did.”

Thomas also pointed to the recent defeat of a ballot measure in Kansas — a conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement — that would have allowed the Republican-controlled legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright.

“The mainstream position is that it’s not the government’s position to dictate family planning and women’s health, and I think most people agree with that,” Thomas said.

“I’m sure (Lauer) is sincere, and that is how he feels, and that is how he should live his life,” Thomas added later in the interview. “But he can’t use the state government to dictate his feelings to everybody else.”

Bryan Munoz, a local teacher who is challenging Walker in the November election, said he was “quite disgusted” with the abortion ban.

“I feel like this is one of the most oppressive things Indiana has done to women and to healthcare in our state’s history,” Munoz said. “…I think that the way Greg Walker voted made it very clear that he’s more interested in legislating his personal beliefs than representing his district.”

Munoz said he was concerned with the potential impact of the ban on access to “the safety of women’s access to good health care and in their ability to make medical decisions” and that other rights — including marriage and racial equality — could be limited in the future.

“I think this is an issue that’s going to stay on voters’ minds,” Munoz said. “I’ve already seen a huge outreach with members of the community expressing their just extreme discontent at what our legislators have done, and how much they’ve set us back and how much they fear the future of Indiana with this current legislative body.”