INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Chamber is urging Indiana lawmakers "not to proceed" with proposed abortion legislation during the special session and said the speed of the process has left "fundamental" questions unanswered.
In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Indy Chamber said the "expedited legislative process" to advance state policy on abortion is "at best, detrimental to Hoosiers, and at worst, reckless."
The chamber said the speed of the special session has left the following questions unanswered:
- How will Indiana improve its poor infant and maternal health outcomes, particularly for women of color and women from low-income households?
- How will physicians balance their legal risk against the health and well-being of women and infants?
- How will Indiana address critical workforce shortages, specifically for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals?
- Will Hoosier employers retain the right to set policies regarding employee benefits and health plans that are necessary to meet their employees’ needs?
- How will Indiana retain and attract talent to grow its economy in today’s global labor marketplace?
- Will the Indy region continue to attract tourism and convention investments that contribute to the entire state’s economic outlook?
LIVE BLOG: 2022 Indiana Special Session | Updates on abortion, inflation legislation
Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said the chamber doesn't have a formal position on the abortion legislation and won't unless it "infringes on employers’ rights to conduct business and establish benefit programs as they deem appropriate."
You can read the full statement below:
The Indiana Chamber does not have a formal position on abortion or the legislative proceedings on the bill. We will not take a position unless proposed legislation infringes on employers’ rights to conduct business and establish benefit programs as they deem appropriate, as was attempted in the 2022 session regarding COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements. Senate Bill 1, as it currently stands, does not do that.
Given that we are a membership organization, we generally only take positions on business issues and when there is strong consensus among our membership base or representative leadership group. Like much of the state, our members have differing viewpoints on social issues, which leads us to not weigh in on those.
The House is meeting Thursday and is expected to have a final draft on abortion legislation by Friday.
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