Texas GOP signals grim reality for corporations in Indiana post-Roe, according to DeLaney
INDIANAPOLIS - Following the Dobbs decision, Texas Republican lawmakers published a letter threatening to penalize Sidley Austin and other Texas law firms for their policies to pay for employees’ out-of-state abortion procedures. The proposed action would make reimbursement of an employee for reproductive healthcare a felony, even if the procedure were to take place in a state where abortion is legal.
A number of large corporations have announced similar policies to safeguard employees’ right to privacy and their options. Given the Indiana GOP’s penchant for following suit of other GOP-majority state legislatures, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued a heads-up to members of the Indiana business community who want to attract and retain premiere talent in the Hoosier state:
“It’s no secret the Indiana GOP lacks creativity when they contribute to the national culture wars. Their legislation is almost always borrowed from national and lobbying interests,” DeLaney said. “In November of last year, House Republicans were willing to buck the wishes of the business community in mandating what they could and could not require for employees’ vaccination status. This was despite Indiana’s status as an at-will employment state. We have no reason to believe this issue will play out any differently.
“Our dismal public health outcomes and plummeting higher education enrollment rates are already a deterrent to high-wage businesses and young potential employees. It’s difficult to imagine why young people would choose to relocate to Indianapolis over Chicago if Indiana goes so far as to punish employers for offering a healthcare benefit.
“Additionally, as a lawyer myself, the attack on a law firm as high profile as Sidley Austin is troubling. Would the Indiana legal community be comfortable with receiving aggressive threats from lawmakers to disbar and penalize them for helping someone access a procedure that is entirely legal in another state?
“Finally, as GOP lawmakers continue to remain silent on what their proposed legislation will look like, they are leaving us with no choice but to assume the worst. Moving forward, every time I see another imposition on peoples’ rights from other red states, I will assume that policy will be proposed in the future at the General Assembly, if not this special session.”