The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard HB 1217 on coerced abortion authored by Rep. King. The bill establishes a process, including mandatory reporting to law enforcement by certain medical personnel, to ensure that pregnant women are not being coerced into having an abortion. The bill also provides a person who knowingly and intentionally coerces a pregnant woman into an abortion commits a Level 6 felony and makes it a Class C infraction if a reproductive health facility knowingly employs a mandatory reporter who violates the mandatory reporting statute.
Rep. King introduced an amendment that was adopted by consent removing the definition of coercion. The Indiana Public Defender Council and a doctor testified against the bill. The Attorney General’s Office, the Indiana Catholic Conference, and multiple victims of coerced abortion testified in favor of the bill. The amended bill passed 8-3.
Read the bill at: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1217