A look at how other priority bills have done this session

Senate Bill 24—This death penalty and mental illness bill died in committee.

The bill would have ruled out the death penalty for those convicted of a murder, but who are deemed seriously mentally ill. Life in prison without parole would be the stiffest penalty given to those suffering from serious mental illness.

The bill was heard in committee. It was not called for a vote in committee.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 45—It passed in the Senate. This is a resolution urging the Legislative Council to assign and direct an interim or statutory committee to study issues pertaining to the imposition of the death penalty on mentally ill individuals.

Senate Bill 194—This bill, which passed 37-10, requires abortion doctors to have hospital privileges in the community where abortions are performed.

Senate Bill 135—The bill dealing with informed consent for abortions died on second reading. It would have changed Indiana’s abortion law by giving a pregnant woman seeking an abortion more information on which to base her decision.

Under the proposed measure, a woman seeking an abortion would have been informed, in writing, that human life begins at fertilization and told by a physician that her fetus may feel pain during the procedure.

The measure would also have required that written information be provided to the mother on adoption options and risks associated with the surgery. Because current law requires an 18-hour waiting period, this information, both written and oral, would have been presented to a woman seeking abortion at least 18 hours prior to her having the abortion.

Current law does not require that any information be provided in writing. It requires a woman be told about: 1) risks associated with abortion; 2) probable gestational age of the fetus; 3) the availability of ultrasound imaging and fetal heart tone; and 4) adoption options. The Indiana Catholic Conference supported this part of the bill.

Unfortunately, the bill was amended in the Senate Health Committee to include “contraception” language.

The bill would codify a definition of contraception that would allow abortifacient drugs or devices used to prevent implantation of the embryo.

Since this flawed bill could not be corrected, those who support it said it was best to keep the bill from moving and trying to amend it later.

Having the contraception language pass in one chamber would permit it to be inserted in other bills during conference committee at the end of the session.

House Bill 1348—This bill dealing with an umbilical cord blood bank passed in the House 97-1.

It establishes a public umbilical cord blood bank operated by the State Department of Health, and requires hospitals to offer new parents the option of donating umbilical cord blood following the birth of a newborn.

House Bill 1484—The bill, which passed in the House 97-0, would encourage companies to put pressure on the Sudanese government to end the genocide in Darfur.†