Lawson on HEA 1337 court ruling: “Let’s just get rid of this law”

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House Democratic Floor Leader Linda Lawson from Hammond today issued the following statement after a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking an onerous new anti-choice law (House Enrolled Act 1337) from going into effect on Friday (July 1):

“HEA 1337 is a horrible law, and it deserves to be tossed into the trash. The legislation was conceived hastily, and passed without any consideration for its impact on women across Indiana, which would be immense.

“In a just world, this ruling would put an end to the debate, but I fear more tax dollars will be spent on court actions that do nothing but placate a few who cannot help but insert themselves into the lives of others on decisions that should be kept personal and private.

“When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that an anti-choice bill in Texas was unconstitutional, many who supported that horrible bill described the decision as a setback for women’s health.

“If they are that concerned about women’s health issues, I would encourage them to stop poking their noses into the personal lives of women across this state.

“Instead, join with those of us who have fought for many years to improve health care for women. Help us support prenatal programs that encourage women to make sound, logical, healthy decisions. Help us fund programs that help women of all ages make choices that protect their lives. Help us help them by providing the means for them to get regular mammograms and pap smears, and testing for HIV and other STDs.

“The advocates of HEA 1337 have not shown much interest in those things in the past, but I am hopeful their continued failings in our court system will help them understand that working to improve women’s health is a far better use of our time than pursuing draconian measures that only increase suffering.”