Ten-year-old's abortion a flashpoint in Indiana
Girl was impregnated through rape. Doctor has been criticized for performing procedure
Indiana has recently been the focus of the abortion debate after a 10-year-old girl got an abortion following a pregnancy caused by rape. Its state legislature is also currently considering curbing many of the protections women had before the Dobbs decision removed the constitutional right to an abortion.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB/GYN in Indianapolis, did the procedure on a 10-year-old. It later became a flashpoint of political debate. Bernard is a fixture at pro-choice events. Many antiabortion candidates and lobbyists harshly criticized her for doing it. She was featured in the New York Times and several other outlets as a result of what she did.
On the ground level, it’s been hectic in the last two months. Its activists have surrounded the state’s capitol to protest any potential antiabortion legislation since Roe was overturned. Nearly 5,000 showed up for one protest. Haley Bougher is vice president of Woman4Change Indiana, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and advancing women’s rights. She explained the sensibilities she’s felt since that time.
Indiana didn’t have a trigger law that banned abortions. Such laws were passed by various states to ban abortion in the event that the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb called a special session of the state legislature to study potential abortion regulations after the Supreme Court issued its decision.
Indiana has issues with gerrymandering, like many midwestern states. Because the districts are not competitive, Democrats have a difficult time convincing people to vote since there is a small likelihood that it would make a difference in who wins. It’s also challenging to recruit new candidates for office.
Bougher said they have programs designed to get more candidates to file. They host a Ready to Run Conference every two years that teaches prospective candidates what to expect in a campaign.
“We know that 78 percent of Hoosiers believe that someone when someone decides to have an abortion and to be safe,” Bougher said. “We know that only 14 percent of Hoosiers want to ban abortion entirely. So most Hoosiers think that abortion should be safe and legal. So people are extremely upset.