Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Signs Controversial Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Chase Stevens / AP
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Chase Stevens / AP

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Signs Controversial Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law

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Women in Indiana can no longer abort fetuses because of genetic defects like down syndrome. That’s after the state’s governor, who is up for re-election in the fall, signed an anti-abortion bill into law Thursday. 

The bill prohibits abortions because of a fetus’s race, sex or if it’s found to be disabled. By signing it into law, Gov. Mike Pence may have solidified his standing with social conservatives. But Indiana University political science professor Andy Downs says the Republican Pence may have angered another group: Female college-educated voters who oppose the legislation. Many Republican legislators opposed the bill. Some said it violates a woman’s right to privacy with her physician.

Michael Puente is WBEZ’s Northwest Indiana Bureau reporter. Follow him at @mpuentenews.