2 Victories for Pro-Choice Advocates : Indiana Senate Kills Abortion Ban; Michigan Bill Vetoed

Pro-choice forces won two battles when the Indiana Senate defeated legislation to ban abortions in public hospitals and Michigan Gov. James J. Blanchard vetoed a bill today requiring minors to obtain permission for abortions.

Abortion rights activists in Indianapolis clapped in the Senate gallery and hugged in the hallway when senators turned back the public hospital ban on a 26-23 vote Thursday night. The move followed a two-hour debate.

“We’re not going to be debating this issue again in the Indiana Senate during this session,” said Dinah Farrington, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Inc. “Attempts will be made to bring it back, but I really don’t think we’re going to see it on the Senate floor again for a vote.”

Today, Blanchard announced his veto of the Michigan bill, which would have required minors to get permission either from their parents or a court. The governor said that he supports parental involvement in such decisions but that the bill “takes a woman’s right to help herself away from her.”

The actions marked the latest swings in the seesawing fortunes of abortion legislation around the country. Earlier in the week, legislatures in South Carolina and Michigan gave final approval to bills requiring parental consent for teen-agers seeking abortions.

The veto of the measure in Michigan leaves only one question in the abortion dispute in the state--whether abortion foes will make a doomed override attempt or head straight to the voters.

Blanchard’s counterpart in South Carolina, Gov. Carroll A. Campbell Jr., has not taken action on the parental consent bill passed there this week but has said he supports it.

The Indiana legislation would have prevented doctors in public hospitals or clinics from performing abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the life or health of the mother is threatened.

Under current law, no public money can be used for abortions, but some public hospitals perform the procedure by using private donations and fees.

The measure also would have required doctors to perform viability tests before performing abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Doctors failing to conduct the tests could have been jailed.

The U.S. Supreme Court in July gave states more power to restrict abortions. The ruling upheld a Missouri law that banned abortions in public hospitals and stopped public employees from counseling women about abortions.

It also required doctors planning to perform abortions to first test any fetus over 20 weeks to determine if it could live outside the womb.