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INDIANAPOLIS, April 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Indiana lawmakers want to know which abortion facilities have defied the state’s emergency suspension of elective abortions and they have sent a letter to the state’s top law enforcement official seeking answers.
Late last month, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued an executive order suspending “elective or non-urgent” procedures at a broad range of medical facilities, including abortion clinics, in accordance with federal health officials’ recommendations to reschedule non-urgent appointments and elective procedures, both to limit the spread of the coronavirus and to free up time and resources to focus on patients afflicted by COVID-19.
The abortion lobby rejected, setting the stage for a potential Supreme Court confrontation, though that appears unlikely as states begin lifting their original medical suspensions. Holcomb announced this week that he was extending the general stay-at-home order until May 1, but allowing some elective procedures to resume; the order says the hold on abortions will be re-evaluated every seven days, starting April 26.
In the meantime, Indiana Republican state Rep. Christy Stutzman wrote that a group of her colleagues has signed a letter to state Attorney General Curtis Hill, asking him to look into which abortion facilites complied with the order and which did not. The letter cited “reports from people keeping vigil in front of the abortion businesses across the state that a heavier than normal number of women are entering the abortion businesses.”
“The abortion industry seems to be working contrary to flattening the curve and stopping the spread,” Stutzman says. “While many businesses have limited the number of people entering their stores, reports from outside abortion clinics indicate an increased volume of clients.”
Pro-life medical professionals have assailed the abortion industry’s demands for special treatment, arguing that exempting elective abortion puts business interests ahead of public health.
The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) says that while “elective abortion is neither ‘essential’ nor ‘urgent,’” it “does consume critical resources such as masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, and unnecessarily exposes patients and physicians to pathogens.”
“Elective abortion, both surgical and drug induced, also generates more patients to be seen in already overburdened emergency rooms,” AAPLOG continued. “Most abortion providers instruct women to go to an emergency room if they have any concerning symptoms after the abortion. Approximately five percent of women who undergo medication abortions will require evaluation in an emergency room, most commonly for hemorrhage. Surgical abortions can also result in hemorrhage. Emergency room personnel – who are already struggling to meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic – will be further strained to provide care to these women.”