2011 Indiana Legislation

Welcome to the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana (PPAI) legislative tracker. Visit this site for information about all of the legislation PPAI is tracking in the 2011 Indiana General Assembly. Below you will find a number of bills related to reproductive health and social justice that have been introduced this session. While we are supportive of many bills, we strongly oppose others that threaten the rights of Hoosier women, endanger reproductive health and weaken equality.

Confused by the misinformation? View the facts about anti-choice legislation.

Information from previous legislative sessions is stored in our archived bill tracks. Select the year you are interested in to find all the bills we supported and opposed during that session.

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Other sessions: 2012 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005

We support...

Senate Bill 4 – Suicide prevention training for school personnel (Miller)
This bill requires the Division of Mental Health and Addiction, with input and guidance from the Department of Education, to develop programs for teacher training on the prevention of child suicide and the recognition of signs that a student may be considering suicide.

Update: This bill has passed through the Senate and has been referred to the House.

Final outcome: This bill passed through both the houses and will be signed into law.

Senate Bill 245 – Prenatal substance abuse commission (Kruse)
This bill creates the prenatal substance abuse commission and requires the commission to develop and recommend a coordinated plan to improve early intervention and treatment for pregnant women who abuse alcohol or drugs, or use tobacco.

Update: This bill has passed through the Senate and has been referred to the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 357 – Adoption Subsidy Payments (Broden)
This bill requires the Department of Child Services to provide an adoption subsidy to the adoptive parents of a child with special needs.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final Outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 538 – Bullying prevention (Wyss, Rogers)
This bill requires the Department of Education to make effective models of bullying prevention plans available to school corporations and to provide an appropriate incentive to school corporations with policies that encourage student participation in extracurricular activities designed to prevent bullying. It requires a school corporation to publish the number of bullying incidents that have occurred in the school corporation's annual performance report. It also amends the definition of "bullying" to specify that the term includes verbal or written communications transmitted in any manner, including digitally or electronically.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final Outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 581 – Perinatal HIV testing (Becker)
This bill requires oral or written consent by a pregnant woman to have HIV testing to be documented in the pregnant woman's medical chart instead of requiring a written statement of consent. It allows a pregnant woman who refuses an HIV test to refuse either orally or in writing (current law requires that the refusal be in writing).

Update: This bill has passed through committee and is now up for debate before the full Senate.

Update: This bill has passed through the Senate and has been referred to the House.

Update: This bill has passed through committee and is up for debate before the full House.

Final outcome: This bill passed through both houses and will be signed into law.

House Bill 1037 – Adoption subsidies for children in foster care (Reske)
This bill requires the Department of Child Services to pay the costs of certain health-related adoption subsidies for a child in foster care.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

House Bill 1476 – Medicaid waiver for family planning services (T. Brown)
This bill requires the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to apply for a demonstration waiver to extend Medicaid coverage of family planning services for women.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing, however similar language was amended into SB 461.

House Bill 1567 – Anti-bullying (Porter)
Similar to SB 538, this bill requires the Department of Education to develop guidelines to assist school corporations in establishing bullying prevention programs and investigation and reporting procedures. It requires each school corporation to include the number and nature of bullying incidents that occurred within the corporation on the school corporation's annual performance report. This bill also amends the definition of bulling to encompass bullying through digital and electronic means.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

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We oppose...

Senate Bill 20 – State contracts and grants (Walker, Tomes)
This bill specifically targets Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) and attempts to create a law barring the state from entering into any contracts with PPIN. This bill would strip PPIN of necessary family planning dollars that provide preventive reproductive health care services to about 12,500 Hoosiers each year.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 50 – Ultrasound before an abortion (Leising)
This bill requires that at least 18 hours before an abortion, a woman must not only obtain a fetal ultrasound, but also view it and receive a copy to take home. She must also listen to the fetal heart tone if audible. Performing an ultrasound is current PPIN practice; however the choice of whether or not to view the fetal image is up to the woman herself.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 116 – Abortion coverage by qualified health plans (Kruse, Steele, Holdman)
This bill prohibits health plans offered under the new federal health care reform law from providing coverage for abortion in all circumstances, even if the woman's health is in danger. This bill would also prevent a woman from purchasing additional abortion coverage out of her own pocket.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing, however similar language was amended into HB 1210. The amended language does allow for coverage in instances of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

Senate Bill 241 – Coverage of elective abortions (Kruse)
This bill prohibits all health plans offered in the state from providing coverage for an elective abortion. The bill allows an insurer to offer coverage of an elective abortion only if the coverage is offered in a separate rider or endorsement.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 290 – Prohibition of abortion (Kruse, Tomes)
This bill prohibits abortion in Indiana unless a physician determines that the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. This bill blatantly contradicts Roe v. Wade and was drafted as a test case for overturning the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 328 – Abortion matters and physician privileges (Miller)
This bill contains a number of detrimental changes to current abortion code. First, it would require a physician to inform a pregnant woman considering an abortion that there is differing medical evidence concerning when a fetus feels pain. Second, it would require that prior to an abortion, a woman must receive information concerning the availability of adoption, the physical risks of having an abortion and carrying the fetus to term and the statement that an embryo formed by the fertilization of a human ovum by a human sperm immediately begins to divide and grow as human physical life. The bill also requires the physician performing the abortion to have admitting privileges at a hospital in the county in which the abortion was performed or a county adjacent to it.

Update: This bill has passed through committee and is now up for debate before the full Senate.

Update: This bill has passed through the Senate and has been referred to the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House after it was pulled off of the calendar in the Public Policy committee. Many provisions within this bill merged into HB 1210.

Senate Bill 457 – Informed consent requirements before abortion (Banks, Kruse, Walker)
This bill requires that the information provided to a woman prior to an abortion must be presented in writing (currently it is only presented orally). The bill also requires the State Department of Health to develop materials that show color photos of a fetus at each stage of development which must then be distributed prior to an abortion.

Update: The language from this bill was added to SB 328, which is now up for debate before the full Senate.

Update: The language from this bill was added to SB 328, which has passed through the Senate and has been referred to the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate after it was amended into SB 328 which was later amended into HB 1210.

Senate Bill 488 – Dispensing of drugs by pharmacists (Steele, Kruse)
This bill allows pharmacists to refuse to dispense a drug that they believe would be used to cause an abortion. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation, meaning the pharmacist could refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control if they personally believe that it would result in an abortion.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 505 – Applicability of federal law in Indiana (Tomes, Kruse, Banks)
This bill states that any federal act that the Indiana General Assembly believes is created in a manner that is inconsistent with the powers granted to the federal government is void in Indiana. Mainly, this is an attempt to exclude Indiana from participating in the health care reform act.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

Senate Bill 522 – Prohibition on abortion after 20 weeks (Walker)
This bill states that a fetus is viable at 20 weeks and renders any abortions performed after this time illegal. This language would take away the ability of a woman to make important, personal medical decisions for herself and her family, especially when confronted with a complicated, high-risk pregnancy.

Update: This bill has died in the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing, however the language prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks is contained in HB 1210.

House Bill 1204 – Physician admitting privileges (Ubelhor, Messmer, Cheatham)
This bill requires a physician who performs an abortion to have admitting privileges at a hospital in the county where the abortion is performed or in an adjacent county. This bill does nothing for patient safety and only erects additional barriers for Hoosier women who have chosen to exercise their legal right to an abortion.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the Senate as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing, however admitting privilege provisions were included in HB 1210.

House Bill 1205 – Abortion funding (Ubelhor, Bacon)
Similar to SB 20, this bill is an implicit attack on Planned Parenthood of Indiana. It would prohibit state agencies from making grants to any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed, but excludes hospitals.

Update: This bill has passed out of committee and is now up for debate before the full House.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill technically died in the House when it failed to pass a procedural hurdle due to the Democratic walk-out. The language in this bill was unfortunately then inserted into HB 1210.

House Bill 1210 – Various abortion matters (Turner, Cheatham, Culver)
This bill states that for consent to an abortion to be informed, a physician must inform the pregnant woman that the fetus might feel pain. It also requires a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to view fetal ultrasound imaging, unless they state in writing that they do not want to view it. The bill also contains language requiring physician admitting privileges like HB 1204 and prohibits health plans under the federal health care exchange to provide abortion coverage, mirroring language from SB 116.

Update: This bill has passed out of committee and is now up for debate before the full House.

Update: This bill has passed through the House and has been referred to the Senate.

Final outcome: This bill passed out of both houses despite an overwhelming outcry from constituents urging their legislators to vote against the bill. HB 1210 contains a number of horrendous provisions amended from other bills that died this session, including the prohibition of abortions after 20 weeks, the banning of abortion coverage under any health care exchange plan and the defunding of Planned Parenthood of Indiana! This bill will be signed into law by the Governor.

House Bill 1227 – Presumption of fetal viability (Davisson, Turner)
This bill provides that a fetus that is at least 20 weeks of age is presumed to have attained viability and thereby prevents abortions after this time. This bill is similar to SB 522.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing, however the language prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks is contained within HB 1210.

House Bill 1228 – Health care professional's conscience clause (Davisson)
This bill is similar to SB 488, providing that a health care professional may not be required to dispense a drug or medical device if it would be used to cause an abortion.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

House Bill 1257 – Informed consent for hysterectomy or oophorectomy (Borders)
This bill requires a physician to obtain informed consent and provide certain information to a patient before performing a hysterectomy. The required information includes a video that outlines the functions of the female anatomy. This bill assumes that women are incapable of asking the appropriate questions about this surgical procedure and of weighing all of the risks for themselves.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never scheduled for a committee hearing.

House Bill 1258 – Provision of RU-486 (Morris)
This bill severely limits the current practice for when RU-486 (mifepristone) may be prescribed to an individual for the purpose of inducing a medical abortion. It also requires physicians who become aware of specified adverse events after the provision of RU-486 to make a written report to the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana.

Update: This bill was heard in committee, but a vote has not been taken.

Update: This bill has died in the House.

Final outcome: This bill died in the House as it was never voted on in committee hearing.

Senate Joint Resolution 11, 15 • House Joint Resolution 8 – Right to opt out of health care system (Kruse, Tomes/ Grooms/ Turner, Stemler)
Proposes an amendment to the state constitution that specifies that a person, an employer, or a health care provider shall not be compelled, directly or indirectly, to participate in any health care system.

Update: SJR 11 and 15 have died in the Senate. HJR 8 has died in the House.

Final outcome: All these resolutions died in their respective houses of origin as none of them were scheduled for committee hearing.

Senate Joint Resolution 13 • House Joint Resolution 6 – Definition of marriage (Tomes, Kruse, Holdman/ Turner, Cheatham)
Proposes an amendment to the state constitution that states that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. Provides that a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.

Update: HJR 6 passed through committee and is now up for debate before the full House.

Update: HJR 6 has passed out of the House and has been referred to the Senate. SJR 13 has died in the Senate.

Update: HJR 6 has passed out of the Senate. The resolution must now pass both chambers again in two years. If that occurs, the measure will be placed on the ballot for a public vote. If it is approved by the majority of Indiana residents, it will then be amended to the Indiana State Constitution.

Final outcome: SJR 13 died in the Senate after never being scheduled for a committee hearing. HJR 6, however, passed out of both houses and is to be signed by the Governor. Before it can become law, the resolution must pass out of both chambers again in two years. It will then be placed on the ballot for a public vote. If the majority of Indiana residents approve the measure it will then become law.

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