Indiana officials are coming under fire from both sides of the abortion issue after Gov. Eric Holcomb last week signed a bill that bans abortions except for in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal deformity, and when the mother's life is at risk, but Attorney General Todd Rokita, speaking on Newsmax on Monday, said the passage of the law means 95% of the roughly 8,000 abortions a year will not take place.
"I'm not a lawmaker anymore," Rokita said on Newsmax's "John Bachman Now." "I enforce the laws, and what I can tell you is that many believe with the passage of this law, to take effect Sept. 15, 95% of the roughly 8,000 babies that are aborted per year in Indiana alone will be saved, and that's a remarkable thing wherever you are on the issue."
The law has come under fire from abortion rights supporters who say the legislation is too strict, and from conservatives who say it doesn't go far enough. Rokita said he's sure that more work is coming to improve the legislation.
"There is a lot to be said about this, and a lot to be proud of here," said Rokita.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, headquartered in Indiana, has said the new law will hinder its ability to attract diverse personnel, but Rokita dismissed those concerns as a "stretch."
"Whether it's Eli Lilly or any other corporation, woke or not, they're not going to find a better workforce than they can in the state of Indiana," he said. "That's the bottom line, and that's what we'll continue attracting corporations, large and small, and employers to this state."
Rokita on Monday also responded to being sued by Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the physician who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old Ohio girl. Bernard is saying that Rokita's threat to criminally prosecute her after the procedure has caused her "reputational harm and emotional distress" and features "false and misleading" statements, reports Politico.
"We're going to turn over every stone to do our job, and that is finding out what the truth is here," Rokita said. "The fact of the matter is, someone had a patient, and that doctor then took the patient's story and went to the media with it and has since been very high profile. When you do something like that, there are responsibilities and potential consequences, depending on if you follow the law."
Rokita also said there are "reporting duties" and "privacy duties," and "this is not a simple matter than could go away with the filing of one redacted form. We're going to have to look into this."
Bernard, meanwhile, remains with a "very high profile" despite claiming security issues.
"Attorneys can say whatever attorneys want to say for their clients, but we're going to stick with this on behalf of the people of Indiana who deserve to make sure that every aspect of this law and the reporting requirements and the privacy laws were followed," Rokita said.
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