Members of the Indiana Legislature are considering House Bill 1217, a measure designed to help keep women from being coerced into an abortion by making it easier for them to escape their situation and get help.
Mike Fichter of Indiana Right to Life explains that the measure requires an abortion facility to notify authorities if the woman is being coerced; they also must provide her with a separate phone to use to call for help.
"For example, in a case where a potential abuser is in the waiting room waiting for her, she must be provided with an alternative phone and even an alternative exit to the facility if she feels that's needed for her safety," Fichter details. "On top of all of that, it requires the legal authorities to immediately investigate any type of report of coercion."
The bill further makes that type of coercion a Level 6 felony.
"Planned Parenthood claims it's duplicating laws on the books, and they're opposing this," the pro-lifer relays. "[It's] just mind-blowing that the organization that claims that it stands for women is opposing legislation in Indiana that will help protect women with greater protections from being coerced into an abortion."
In a 2017 survey of 1,000 women, the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons revealed that 75% reported at least subtle pressure to terminate their preborn children, and 30% feared losing their partners if they did not abort their child.
