INDIANAPOLIS — An American Sign Language translator in all black stood on the statehouse steps in Indianapolis, placed the palm of her right hand on her stomach and covered it with her left hand. She slid her right hand from beneath the left and pushed it outward.
Birth.
Then the translator put her palm on her stomach, formed a fist and then extended her fingers out in a downward motion.
Abortion.
Women held 97 signs bearing the names of every Indiana legislator who voted in favor of the controversial, comprehensive abortion bill House Enrolled Act 1337.
To the far left, mitten-covered hands held a sign with one of Bloomington’s representatives.
Rep. Jeff Ellington, R-Bloomington, was the only Bloomington legislator to vote in favor of the bill.
On Saturday, more than 1,000 people gathered on the statehouse lawn to protest Ellington — and every other Indiana politician who supported HEA 1337 — as part of the Rally for Women’s Rights.
The bill, passed by the legislature March 11 and signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence on March 24, enacted several measures to restrict access to abortion through all stages of pregnancy.
Under HEA 1337, women must attend an ultrasound screening 18 hours before procedure and listen to the fetal heartbeat. Abortion providers are required to cremate or bury fetal remains from both abortions and miscarriages.
HEA 1337 requires women seeking abortions to acknowledge that “human physical life begins when a human ovum is fertilized by a human sperm.”
At the rally, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky CEO and President Betty Cockrum disagreed.
Surrounded by “Fire Pence” signs and the names of men and women who hope to defund her organization, Cockrum stood in the center of the Statehouse steps.
“It is fact that a fertilized egg is not a pregnancy until it implants in the uterine wall,” Cockrum said to the crowd.
Christian speaker Sue Ellen Braunlin said law should be rooted in fact, not religion. Braunlin, who represented the Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice, said the law reflected the religious beliefs of the lawmakers who created it at the expense of everyone else.
Rabbi Paula Winnig said Jews differ from Christians on abortion.
“Life for Jews begins when a fetus comes to life outside the womb,” she said. “This law is an infringement on my rights as a Jew and as a woman.”
On the outskirts of the rally, a few dozen counter-protesters held signs quoting the Bible.
“God hates the hands that spill innocent blood. Proverbs 6:17.”
Amidst talk of hellfire and baby killing, rally attendees blocked the pro-life posters with their own signs.
“I am being forcibly prevented from my right to free movement,” said one pro-life protester through his megaphone.
Under HEA 1337, it is illegal for women to seek abortions based on the fetus’ sex, race or possible genetic abnormality or disability. Braunlin condemned those who supported this provision of identifying as pro-life.
“This bill protects fetuses with disabilities in a familiar way,” Braunlin said. “It forces them to be born and abandons them after birth.”
Cara Roellgen spoke to the large crowd about her own abortion. Though Roellgen’s pregnancy was not unwanted, she chose not to carry it to term after it was diagnosed with anencephaly. Anencephalic babies are born without brains and die moments after birth.
Though Roellgen’s abortion was a legal procedure, she had difficulty obtaining insurance coverage. She was told her abortion could cost between $10,000 and $20,000.
“I can’t believe she had to go through this,” an audience member said.
Roellgen said if she would have sought her abortion this July instead of last September, it would not have been covered by insurance and could possibly violate HEA 1337’s disability clause.
“I never thought that I would be in a position to need an abortion myself, and I thought that I would never seek that as an option,” Roellgen said. “Thankfully, it was covered because my doctor had the freedom to state in writing exactly why I was having the procedure. If HEA 1337 is allowed to go into law this summer, women and their doctors won’t have the freedom to discuss all their options anymore.”
Rally organizer Anette Siegel Grossman said she asked Roellgen to speak after Grossman read a post Roellgen put on the rally Facebook page.
Grossman said many of the other speakers were people she’d worked with at previous rallies for social justice. The Rally for Women’s Rights is the third protest Grossman has organized, and she said it’s the largest by far.
Junior Colton Shaeffer said IU students could benefit from participating in grassroots movements like the rally.
“There’s a lot of Internet activism in Bloomington, but sometimes it’s better to get on the ground,” Shaeffer said.
Shaeffer and several other protestors marched from the Statehouse lawn to the circle after the rally ended. They walked through downtown Indianapolis and waved at cars, pedestrians and patrons of a mobile cycling bar. They chanted, “My body, my choice,” and, “We will not go back.”
The rest of the crowd cleared, but the Statehouse lawn was littered with evidence of their presence. Bernie pins, Hillary stickers, “Fire Mike Pence” signs.
“It shows we must get out and vote,” Grossman said. “It’s not just Pence. There’s 97 people sitting in cushy jobs just because people don’t vote against them.”
A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Rep. Jeff Ellington, R-Bloomington, as a Democrat. The IDS regrets this error. For clarification, Rep. Ellington, who represents Bloomington residents, is not the only state representative who voted in favor of HEA 1337. Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, and Rep. Bob Heaton, R-Terre Haute, also voted for the bill.
