Indiana lawmakers holding off on major anti-abortion bills until after Supreme Court rules

Listen to the broadcast version of this story.

Indiana legislative leaders indicated Thursday the General Assembly will likely hold off on any major anti-abortion legislation this session.

Lawmakers want to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue later this year before taking action.

The future of abortion rights may be decided by the court this year. And Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said it’s best to wait for a decision before passing legislation.

“To try and anticipate what that might say and draft legislation to anticipate every possible solution or opinion that they could come out with just looks completely undoable to me," Bray said. "So, I don’t think it’s wise to try.”

READ MORE: Indiana abortion care providers say Hoosiers should worry about future

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues.

READ MORE: After SCOTUS decision, some Indiana anti-abortion advocates 'cautiously optimistic'

But once the Court rules, Bray said he might ask the governor to call a special session.

“I think we’ll have a lot of people advocating that we don’t want to wait any longer than we have to to make a change here in the state, if there’s a possibility,” Bray said.

The Court’s rulings could mean everything from banning abortion outright to restricting how long into pregnancy people can access abortion care.

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

Copyright 2022 Indiana Public Media. To see more, visit Indiana Public Media.