STATE WIDE–A lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and other organizations is meant to keep the state’s new abortion law, banning most abortions, from going into effect Sept. 15. State Atty. Gen. Todd Rokita plans to defend against that suit on behalf of the state.
In a Facebook-only press conference Thursday (Rokita says it’s designed to bypass the ‘biased media” and communicate directly with Hoosiers), Rokita said “the left can’t stand the culture of life”.
While Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have said the lawsuit is based on right to privacy guarantees in the Indiana Constitution, Rokita said he does not believe there is any part of the state constitution that provides for abortion being a right.
“The Indiana Constitution says nothing about securing a right to abortion, the main plank the ACLU is now relying on,” he said. “The text, history and structure of our constitution excludes any serious argument that abortion is a fundamental right in our state.”
ACLU Legal Director Ken Falk said this week when the lawsuit was announced that it’s based on whether a woman can keep her decision to have an abortion private, which he says is part of the document. It’s also based on what he calls the discrimination against abortion clinics in its requirement that mostly only hospitals can be a venue for abortions.
“On behalf of Hoosiers I look forward to defending us against this lawsuit,” said Rokita.
During a select Q&A, he said he does not believe that any employers have had people say they would quit because of the new law.
“I have not heard that it’s a problem anywhere,” he said. “I don’t think any Hoosier employers think they’re gonna lose employees because someone can’t get an abortion in the State of Indiana.”
That was disputed Thursday by David Ingram, executive vice president of IU Health, who said in a separate press conference regarding preparation of the hospital system for the new law, that the system has lost potential recruits.
“We have also had a few cases where we have been recruiting out of state, providers who have withdrawn because of this bill,” he said.
When asked if he wished to see the exemptions for rape and incest eliminated, Rokita said that’s for lawmakers to decide. He’s not one, and has a duty to defend only what has been made law.
