Hear both sides of abortion doctor bill

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A bill that places restrictions on doctors doing abortions passed the Indiana House Wednesday night by a vote of 73 to 20. The passage followed heated debate.

Senate Bill 89 requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals.

Abortion rights supporters argue there is only one abortion provider in Indiana who currently has hospital privileges. So critics say this bill would essentially stop abortions in our state.

On Thursday, 24-Hour News 8 spoke to supporters on both sides of the issue.

Sue Swayze with Right to Life said, “When a woman has an abortion, it's an outpatient procedure and she'll go home that afternoon. Sometimes though there may be complications and she may show up in the emergency room later that night.”

Betty Cockrum of Planned Parenthood said, "Abortion is one of the safest procedures in all of medical practice. There's less than a three tenths of a percent of a complication rate. Almost anything else has a higher one."

"The complication rate can be low, but if a woman is going septic at 10'oclock at night at she's admitted to the hospital, I have the same expectation of my provider as I would with any other provider, that he could be contacted and help in the continuity of my care," said Sue.

Betty said, "Here in Indiana, we have abortion providers in 5 out of 92 counties. There are seven doctors total. One of them has courtesy privileges at a hospital in Marion County; the other six don't have any hospital privileges at all.”

"The only answer I have to that is find six more who can. If I'm going to go as a consumer to get an abortion, I want the surgeon doing the procedure to be able to have that kind of credential,” said Sue.

"I believe the intent is to reduce Hoosier women's access to an abortion. And they're couching it as patient safety," said Betty.

The House version of the bill was heavily amended. It includes a provision that requires that women seeking an abortion be told that the fetus may feel pain. Opponents say this isn't supported by science. Supporters say the science is debatable.

The bill also establishes 'the breast and cervical cancer screening program' that pays for these screenings for all uninsured women over the age of 35. The estimated cost is more than $28 million.

The next step for the bill is most likely a conference committee.