Rep. Errington’s Muncie town hall included Senate abortion bill discussion
A bill in the Statehouse that would change the definition of “abortion” dominated the conversation at a weekend town hall by Muncie Democratic state representative Sue Errington. IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports.
Senate Bill 236 also focuses on abortion-inducing drugs and would let people file wrongful death and injury claims surrounding people who help others receive an abortion.
Errington said the bill also aims at out-of-state abortions.
“What this would do would let private citizens act as the government and be basically a bounty hunter reporting on women, that maybe haven’t even gotten a supply of this pill or even initiated the process,” Errington said. “If they just suspect it and they don’t have to be somebody that actually knows the person, they can file a suit just to try to stop it.”
During the meeting, a constituent asked Errington if the state should focus more on promoting adoption as an alternative to abortion. Errington said the real answer to lowering abortion rates is to prevent those pregnancies in the first place.
Errington previously worked for Planned Parenthood and says she will return to work for the organization after her term ends, as she’s not running for reelection.
She said the current state of Planned Parenthood is being hindered by the federal government.
“In the [One] Big, Beautiful Bill, there is language in there that says If you’re on Medicaid and need reproductive health services, you cannot go to a place that also offers abortion,” she said. “Now, so many Medicaid clients or people on Medicaid choose Planned Parenthood because they know the quality of the care. They’re no longer able to do that.”
When asked about the organization’s future at the state level, she says she believes it will continue to suffer until greater conversations are had between the state’s political aisle.
Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu
