INDIANAPOLIS—Today the Indiana Senate passed Senate Bill 1, a near-total ban on abortion. State Senator Michael Griffin (D-Highland) offered the following response:

“I could not in good conscience vote for this extreme and widely unpopular piece of legislation. This decision belongs to a woman, her faith and her doctor: the government has no place in it, especially not to the degree proposed in Senate Bill 1. It’s not what’s wanted by the people of Indiana, most of whom want Hoosier women to have access to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare options. I also have deep misgivings about Indiana’s ability to handle the ripple effects of Senate Bill 1.

“My colleagues and I brought many amendments to the table that attempted to improve family services and better define and exempt life-threatening pregnancies: all were shot down. This bill will drive healthcare workers out of our state when they’re desperately needed, further burden our insufficient social infrastructure and do irreversible harm to many Hoosier women.”