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The state of Texas recently implemented the most extreme attack on reproductive freedom by banning abortion before most people even know they are pregnant, and unleashing hordes of anti-abortion bounty hunters to enforce the draconian law.

Following implementation of Texas' new cruel anti-abortion law, anti-choice extremist politicians in the Indiana General Assembly have openly discussed implementing a similar law in our state. 

Let’s be clear:

• Abortion is legal in Indiana.
• Abortion is safe in Indiana.
• Abortion is a right in Indiana.

ATTACKS ON REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

Roe v. Wade and the legal right to abortion are important but not enough. We need much more than legality.

For nearly five decades, anti-abortion lawmakers have used restrictions like the Hyde Amendment and medically unnecessary state laws to push abortion care out of reach for people struggling to make ends meet. Again and again, these restrictions disproportionately impact people of color, young people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ folks, and those who live in rural areas.

In Indiana, anti-abortion politicians have passed numerous medically unnecessary and politically-motivated restrictions, creating a web of barriers that push safe and affordable abortion care out of reach for many Hoosiers.

Reproductive health care, including abortion, should be regulated by medical experts – not by politicians with political agendas.

SYSTEMIC EQUALITY

All Hoosiers deserve equal access to abortion, but extreme legislative restrictions have chipped away at people’s access to safe, reliable reproductive health care.

We know that the ramifications of restricting abortion access fall particularly on people of color and people with low incomes, who are disproportionately prosecuted in instances where abortion is criminalized.

Additionally, due to racism and structural inequality, people of color have not had equal access to health care – including abortion, prenatal care, and preventive care. Their concerns are also often ignored or not taken seriously.

Forcing people to carry pregnancies to term against their will is both cruel and dangerous. Across the country, Black people experience higher rates of infant mortality and pregnancy-related deaths.

Reproductive justice means your access to abortion shouldn't depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.

Racial justice and reproductive freedom must go hand in hand because everyone should be able to access the abortion care they need, without burden, obstacles, or stigma.

PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS

The ACLU of Indiana and others will continue to fight against the assault on access to abortion. We will monitor actions in the General Assembly and we will use all means at our disposal – in the courts and on the streets – wherever and whenever the constitutional rights of individuals are in jeopardy.

A majority of Hoosiers do not support abortion bans. A YouGov poll conducted this year found 53% of Hoosiers say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Politicians have no place interfering with individuals’ personal reproductive health care decisions.

TAKE ACTION: Tell legislative leadership that Hoosiers want to keep our reproductive freedom.

Mayor Joe Hogsett recently announced the City of Indianapolis will be using a portion of funding received from the American Rescue Plan Act to increase funding for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), including hiring 100 new officers and allocating $9 million for police surveillance technology.

The increasing use of surveillance technologies by local police across America unjustly targets communities of color and low-income communities, creating oppressive and stigmatizing environments.

Over-policing our communities by using secretive technologies will not solve Indianapolis' violent crime problem.

Invest in Our Community

Alternatively, investing in communities that have been historically under-resourced and over-criminalized is a long overdue and critical piece to achieving public safety.

Mayor Hogsett’s proposal allocates necessary funding for affordable housing, hunger relief, mental health services, and community-based anti-violence programs – which are positive investments in our community that we applaud. But, allocating an additional $20 million to hire 100 new IMPD officers and $9 million for surveillance technology will not effectively address violent crime and will threaten the civil liberties of Indianapolis residents.

We cannot police, surveil, and incarcerate our way into public safety. 

Instead of doubling down on inherently-biased and ineffective policing tactics, Indianapolis should be doubling down on community programs proven to reduce crime. Specifically, adding additional dollars to the city’s proposed funding increase for mental health services, holistic drug treatment, and affordable housing would make Indianapolis safer and help build systemic equality for Black and Brown residents. 

Everybody deserves a safe and healthy community with services that address the needs of all community members.

Community Control Over Police Surveillance

The increase in local police departments’ use of warrantless surveillance technology, which in most places has occurred without any community input or control, presents significant threats to civil rights and civil liberties. 

Without better community and Council oversight, these technologies will infringe on residents’ right to privacy and increase the disproportionate surveillance of communities of color and low-income communities.

The People, not the police, should decide if and how surveillance technologies are used in our communities. 

Indianapolis should join the 21 cities across America which have enacted a Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS) law. CCOPS would empower citizens, through the City-County Council, in decisions over whether and how to implement surveillance technology.

CCOPS would provide Indianapolis residents with critical transparency and the ability to hold IMPD accountable.

Police and Public Safety 

Public surveillance does not equal public safety. Increased violent crime needs to be addressed, but the civil rights and liberties of Indianapolis residents should never be sacrificed in times of crisis.

Each year we pour more and more money into law enforcement, and it isn’t making our community safer. Studies of the effectiveness of surveillance cameras have yet to demonstrate that they significantly reduce crime. 

In fact, studies have shown in time periods we have seen decreases in police we have also seen a decrease in crime.

The problem is not a lack of police officers or police resources; it is a problem of under-funded communities. 

Taking steps to substantially invest directly into community programs and services proven to reduce crime, rather than more policing, will improve public safety and help Indy residents thrive.