Professional Panel Weighs In On New Reproductive Health Laws At Crawfordsville Forum

In the early summer of 2022, the Supreme Court of the United Sates in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturned the l972 Roe v. Wade decision. This ruling brings major changes to Indiana’s health delivery system and to our public health system (as it has for every state and county in our nation). The ruling will also affect our state’s economy.

Whatever an individual thinks about the Dobbs decision, it is now the law of the land. No matter where one falls on the political or religious spectrum, the Dobbs decision’s effects will touch each one of us whether we are of child-bearing age or not. All community members are invited to learn more about what this ruling is and how it stands to affect reproductive health care in Indiana and our state’s future wellbeing.

On Wednesday, March 22, a panel of regional leaders will discuss these issues from their professional perspectives. This program will be held in the Crawfordsville District Public Library (205 S. Washington) in the Donnelley Room from 7:00-8:30 pm. The public is cordially invited to attend the program.

Panelists are Dr. Joyce Burnette, professor of Economics at Wabash College, Mr. Adam Burtner, Vice President of Government Affairs of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Caroline Rouse, maternal-fetal specialist at University Hospital in Indianapolis. During the program, each of these professionals will describe how the Dobbs decision and its Indiana counterpart, Senate Bill 1, will impact their professional fields and how the Supreme Court’s decision may be felt by our state in years to come. (Senate Bill 1 is the Indiana General Assembly’s legislation that passed six weeks after the Dobbs decision. It bans nearly all abortions in our state with very few exceptions. This law is currently being challenged in Indiana’s courts.)

The audience will be invited to ask questions of panel members after the presentation. Mayor Todd D. Barton will be on hand to welcome these guests to our community. Christine Amidon, Nurse Practitioner and Wabash College nurse, will moderate the panel. This program is presented in the public interest by the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County