BLOOMINGTON—On Thursday, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld SEA 1, Indiana’s abortion ban. Assistant Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) condemned the ruling:

“I am absolutely heartbroken and furious at the ruling handed down by the Indiana Supreme Court, which upheld all of the worst parts of SB 1. Today, millions of women lost their right to self-determination and were thrust back into the 1970s, a time when they died preventable deaths, sought dangerous and unregulated care, and lacked full access to their own bodies and self-determination. Frankly, I think the Supreme Court has completely failed to contend with the realities of this case: upholding SB 1 means more dead women, more healthcare deserts and a society where women are nothing more than second-class citizens. 

This ruling is a legal endorsement of inequality, of brutality and of an America that no longer holds the values of autonomy and justice dear. Quite simply, this legislation is a failure of democracy—Hoosiers want people to have access to this care, but their will was circumvented by a majority controlled by a vocal minority and special interest groups. A woman should not have to be raped or face death to control her body, to exercise her own right to autonomy. To Statehouse Republicans, I’d ask how close to death or how traumatized a woman has to be in order to access her own rights and to receive care.

Indiana and its residents deserve more than this radical legislation, which shows little regard for Hoosiers’ voices or wellbeing. To Hoosier women, the fight for reproductive freedom is not over—if a vocal minority can revoke a long-held right, a vocal majority can restore it.”