Indiana GOP legislative leaders say no big abortion bills in 2023 session

The Indiana House chamber, as seen from the public viewing gallery. There is a large chandelier above the room, with a mural against the back wall.
Brandon Smith
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IPB News
House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) have both said they don’t anticipate advancing further anti-abortion bills in 2023.

Indiana Republican legislative leaders say they’re not prepared to enact any significant abortion legislation in the 2023 session.

Ultra-conservative lawmakers and advocates were unhappy with some of the exceptions in this year’s near-total abortion ban. Particularly, that includes allowing abortions in some cases of rape or incest. And they’ve indicated they’ll work to remove those exceptions going forward.

But House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray have both said they don’t anticipate advancing further anti-abortion bills in 2023.

READ MORE: Abortion stays legal in Indiana through end of 2022; state Supreme Court to hear challenge to ban

Bray said after the 2022 special session on abortion, lawmakers aren’t eager to revisit the issue.

“We’ve got a Supreme Court that’s taking a look at that issue and it wouldn’t be wise at all for us to take a crack at any changes right now until we know what that ruling’s going to be,” Bray said.

A state Supreme Court hearing on a challenge to the abortion ban is scheduled for late January.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.