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Editor’s note: The Indiana Democratic Party on Thursday issued the following statement from Vice Chair Myla Eldridge.
Dear Editor:
My heart breaks because today in Indiana, it is now against the law for Hoosiers to have a safe and legal abortion, and it’s without a doubt Senate Enrolled Act 1 will endanger women and little girls’ lives across the state.
This mandate is the worst form of government overreach, and generations of women for the first time will be forced to make dangerous decisions many of us thought we left in history books. Underprivileged women – especially Black and Brown Hoosiers in urban communities – will see their futures dashed or their lives be put in danger because an unchecked supermajority in the Indiana General Assembly backed a small minority over Hoosiers who wanted the state to maintain its existing laws.
The summer’s special session made this grim reality painfully obvious: the Indiana Republican Party cares more about being the first state to ban abortions in special session than actually tend to the kitchen-table issues voters actually care about most. This very reason is why Indiana has an F-rated quality of life for families, a D- rating for its workforce, the most polluted waterways in the nation, and a C- rated education system.
Indiana’s government is failing Hoosiers because the Republican politicians in charge care more about their election-year extremist agenda than actually creating a better future for our families.
There’s an opportunity for Hoosiers to immediately hold Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana Republicans accountable, and it’s by their votes on Nov. 8. Hoosiers can reject the GOP’s extremism by voting for Democrats who will put Indiana’s future – not some political agenda – first.
A vote for a Democratic candidate is a vote to repeal the ban on abortion. A vote for a Democratic candidate is a vote to protect women and girls. A vote for a Democratic candidate is a vote to protect the future of half of the people who call this state home.
There are 54 days left before Election Day, and Democrats urge Hoosiers to make their plan to vote. Stopping the Indiana GOP’s grip on the state doesn’t happen overnight, but voters can send a clear message to them on Nov. 8.
Myla Eldridge
Vice Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party