In the wake of S.E.A.-1, it remains vitally important for Voices for Life and other sidewalk advocacy programs to maintain and grow their efforts in order to reach women before they travel out of state to have abortions.
A recent article published by State Affairs found that Indiana women are still choosing abortion frequently and consistently, traveling to neighboring states with less restrictive bans in order to have the procedures done. The article reports that in 2023, after S.E.A.-1, more than 7,000 children were aborted by Hoosier women through out-of-state providers. In Illinois – where abortion is legal until 24 weeks gestation, there is no mandated waiting/counseling period and parental permission isn’t required for minors – 5,420 Hoosier women had abortions performed last year.
As a result of this increased demand, abortion facilities in Illinois, such as Planned Parenthood, are expanding services and hiring new staff. The article notes that the Chicago Abortion Fund, which provides money for travel, child care, lodging and other other costs, “has grown from supporting fewer than 200 people in all of 2018 to 200-300 requests per week.”
Because Indiana clinics can no longer legally abort children, the sense of urgency outside women’s clinics can diminish; it is harder for us to see the reality that abortion is still widely accessible and chosen in our nation. But it is more important now than ever to see it.
Pre-born children in our state are being shuttled from clinic to clinic while their moms deliberate whether they will abort and where they will get the procedure done. Our local women’s clinics have now become important places to find assistance in getting referrals to out-of-state abortionists, most commonly in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.
If you are already an advocate, now’s the time to remember your mission. We must remember these voiceless humans as we stand on the sidewalk. While our pro-life sidewalk team counterparts in abortion sanctuary states are vigilantly standing guard for these babies, we can work to ease their load by connecting with women before they make the choice for an out-of-state abortion.
Boldly reaching out and initiating conversations, sidewalk advocates provide authentic connection to women facing crisis pregnancies. These connections enable us to then share about the many life-supporting resources in our area. Indiana is richly equipped with such resources, yet many women are not aware of them, and therefore see abortion as the best option. Seeing a mother’s need and showing her how it can be met without the intentional death of her child is the biggest step towards her baby surviving gestation, as most women cite financial or other resource reasons for aborting their child. Don’t be afraid to ask, “do you have any reasons you would consider aborting your baby?” A steady presence outside Planned Parenthoods means clients will be curious about the resources we offer and start to trust us because of our open, peaceful conduct.
If you are not a member of Voices for Life’s sidewalk team, consider joining us. We urgently need to grow teams of pro-life advocates across our state, as the lives of our future neighbors are at stake.
And, please consider funding our work. Voices for Life runs on the time and donations of people like you, and to compete with abortion donors and the expanding access to abortion travel, we depend on your commitment to ending abortion.
The hard truth is this: No restriction on abortion, legal or practical, gives us an excuse for complacency. Now is the time to go out and be a life-affirming presence to mothers in need.
Written by Jenna Smith, Voices for Life Summer Program Coordinator
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