[Active-l] (ACTION ITEM) (INDIANA) Indiana lawmaker files bill to make abortion a felony.

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

	And now it begins. A little earlier than I'd thought, really; I  
figured they'd sit on this stuff until Alito was actually on the court.
	Indiana lawmaker Troy Woodruff has drafted and filed a bill to make  
abortion a Class C felony specifically to challenge Roe v. Wade under  
the new Supreme Court makeup. This news article is from the 31st, when  
he started talking about it; he filed it today as HB 1096. Planned  
Parenthood action item for Indiana residents here:
	http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/hb1096_010506
					- Dara

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Abortion bill backer confident
By JENNIFER WHITSON Courier & Press Indianapolis bureau (317) 631-7405  
or whitsonj at courierpress.com
December 31, 2005

http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/ 
0,1626,ECP_734_4353799,00.html

INDIANAPOLIS - State Rep. Troy Woodruff has drafted a bill that would  
make abortions illegal in Indiana except when a mother's health is in  
danger, a bill that would bring a firestorm of debate and national  
attention if filed.

Woodruff, R-Vincennes, said Friday he's "feeling pretty confident" that  
he will file the bill.

Woodruff said the bill as drafted would define life as beginning at  
conception and would alter Indiana's feticide law.

The current law makes feticide a Class C felony, punishable with a two-  
to eight-year prison sentence, except in the case of an abortion  
performed under the state's guidelines. The bill would make all  
abortions a Class C felony except in the case where a pregnancy  
endangers a mother's health, Woodruff said.

  "I think it's very important that we do everything we can to protect  
Hoosiers whether they're born or not," he said. When asked if the law  
would run afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade,  
Woodruff said, "This would be a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade."

  He said with new members coming onto the Supreme Court, that ruling  
could be changed and that some state must take the issue through the  
appeals process to test the new court.

  "I wish every state would send it up there," Woodruff said. Asked if  
he was prepared for the attention and potential strife this hot-button  
issue would bring, Woodruff said yes.