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Indiana lawmakers holding off on major anti-abortion bills until after Supreme Court rules

By Brandon Smith, IPB News | Published on in Family Issues, Government, Health, Politics
Many expect the U.S. Supreme Court to rule this year on the future of abortion rights. (Justin Hicks/IPB News)

Indiana legislative leaders indicated Thursday the General Assembly will likely hold off on any major anti-abortion legislation this session.

Lawmakers want to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue later this year before taking action.

The future of abortion rights may be decided by the court this year. And Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said it’s best to wait for a decision before passing legislation.

“To try and anticipate what that might say and draft legislation to anticipate every possible solution or opinion that they could come out with just looks completely undoable to me,” Bray said. “So, I don’t think it’s wise to try.”

READ MORE: Indiana abortion care providers say Hoosiers should worry about future

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READ MORE: After SCOTUS decision, some Indiana anti-abortion advocates ‘cautiously optimistic’

But once the Court rules, Bray said he might ask the governor to call a special session.

“I think we’ll have a lot of people advocating that we don’t want to wait any longer than we have to to make a change here in the state, if there’s a possibility,” Bray said.

The Court’s rulings could mean everything from banning abortion outright to restricting how long into pregnancy people can access abortion care.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.