Washington (CNN)Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday signed a bill that bars women from seeking an abortion because the child will be born with a disability, a controversial restriction that is one of the tightest abortion laws in the country.
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North Dakota is the only US state that prohibits abortions based on fetal anomalies.
I came to know Governor Pence personally when he served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he proved himself to be a strong defender of the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.
Pence was a prominent abortion rights opponent while serving in Congress before being elected governor in 2012 and received flawless scores from Indiana Right to Life for his record of opposing abortion.
He told LifeNews.com: “Gov. Pence has always been a champion for the unborn and their mothers”, said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life.
Pence, however, said his stand for the “sanctity of life” supports his reasoning for signing the bill.
Under the new IN law, DFS players must be at least 18, and the sites can’t take action on college sports. It was a diluted version of a proposal that would have banned IDEM from creating environmental rules that were more stringent than federal regulations and blocked most new rules from taking effect until a legislative session had occurred, giving lawmakers a chance to intervene.
Supporters said the law is necessary to ensure fair contests for the estimated 1 million IN residents who play fantasy sports games. “We also believe that the other measures in the bill are positive steps forward for providing dignity and compassion”. Last year, Pence signed a religious objections bill perceived by many as anti-gay, prompting some corporations to threaten to stop doing business in IN unless the law was changed.
The bill prohibits abortions on the basis of the race or sex of a fetus, or a potential disability. Eschewing a public ceremony, Pence signed the measure into law behind closed doors.
The governor’s office says Pence signed the bill Thursday, but provided no additional comment.
The measure also requires abortive or miscarried fetal remains to be buried or cremated, not disposed of as medical waste.
The head of Planned Parenthood of IN and Kentucky condemned the bill.
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IN state Sen. Liz Brown, who worked with Holdman on the measure, said previously that many families face pressure to abort from doctors or other health care professionals when their babies are diagnosed with an illness or disability in the womb.
