Indiana anti-abortion bill would tell police to just ignore federal law

An Indiana Republican lawmaker introduced an extreme anti-abortion bill last week that bans abortion at every stage of pregnancy, declaring that “human physical life begins when a human ovum is fertilized by a human sperm.”

The bill, introduced by state GOP Rep. Curt Nisly, is the latest attempt by GOP lawmakers in states across the country to ban abortion.

According to WRTV, “The 37-page bill … changes the definition of ‘human being’ from ‘an individual who has been born and is alive’ to ‘having human physical life, regardless of whether the individual has been born,’ making any abortion murder under the law.”

The outlet noted that the bill also “removes all references to abortions or abortion clinics, since abortions would be considered murder.”

The bill notably includes a provision saying the state will ignore any federal court decisions that strike the abortion ban down and threatens to arrest any federal law enforcement officers who try and stop Indiana from carrying out the ban.

“Any court decision purporting to… enjoin the state of Indiana from protecting innocent human physical life from the moment of conception shall be treated as nonauthoritative, void, and of no force,” the bill text says.

Of course, there are no mechanisms to simply ignore a federal court order. Those who refuse to follow a federal court order can be arrested and charged with contempt of court.

The Indiana bill follows in the footsteps of states such as Alabama — which sought to ban abortion in all instances and imprison doctors who performed the procedure — and Ohio, which raised the prospect of charging women who receive abortions with the death penalty.

These extreme bans are an attempt by GOP lawmakers to get the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that grants women the right to an abortion. The Republican lawmakers hope that the bans get challenged in federal court and ultimately land in the hands of the conservative-majority at the Supreme Court, which it hopes would strike down Roe altogether.

Court challenges are currently pending against abortion bans in states such as Alabama. And Alabama’s law is currently on hold, after a federal judge blocked the state from enforcing it until a court challenge is finalized.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.