The White House on Saturday slammed an abortion ban in Indiana signed into law on Friday.
In a press release, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the legislation “devastating” and argued it “put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians rather than women and their doctors.”
“Yesterday’s vote, which institutes a near-total abortion ban in Indiana, should be a signal to Americans across the country to make their voices heard. Congress should also act immediately to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe – the only way to secure a woman’s right to choose nationally,” the statement read.
“It’s another radical step by Republican legislators to take away women’s reproductive rights and freedom, and put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians rather than women and their doctors,” she said.
Indiana became the first state after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to pass restrictions to abortion, offering limited exceptions to the medical procedure in the state, according to The Associated Press.
Abortions will be allowed in the state only before 10-weeks post-fertilization, in cases of rape or incest, to save the mother’s life, and if a fetus has a lethal anomaly. The abortion ban becomes effective Sept. 15.
The ban came more than a month after the high court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, quickly leading to a patchwork of states introducing their own bans and restrictions on the medical procedure.
Earlier this week, Kansas became the first state to weigh in on the Supreme Court’s decision, rejecting a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have given the state legislature more authority to regulate access to abortions.
Source: The Hill
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