Forced Backward: How Indiana’s Abortion Ban Endangers Women and Erodes Our Economic Future
In the wake of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban, it’s impossible to ignore what’s happening to women across our state. As CEO of Women4Change Indiana, I hear the stories every day—of women forced to carry pregnancies that threaten their health, of doctors afraid to act, and of families facing unimaginable choices in a state that no longer trusts them to make their own.
Let’s be clear: this law isn’t just about abortion. It’s about control. It’s about eroding women’s autonomy, dismantling our progress, and sending us backward to a time when women were expected to stay silent, stay home, and stay pregnant.
That isn’t speculation. It’s happening now.
Since the ban took effect, Indiana’s already fragile maternal health landscape has grown more dangerous. We rank among the worst states in the nation for maternal and infant mortality. Our rural communities are becoming maternity care deserts. And doctors—trained to save lives—are now second-guessing critical decisions, worried that providing care could cost them their licenses or land them in court. Some providers have left Indiana entirely. Others have simply stopped practicing obstetrics.
These aren’t abstract outcomes. They are lived consequences for Hoosier women.
One physician recently shared the story of a patient who arrived at an emergency room mid-miscarriage. Her body was already shutting down. But the care team hesitated, unsure whether intervening would violate the law. That woman nearly died, while many others already have. And, sadly, her story is not unique.
This is what happens when lawmakers override medicine, when ideology replaces evidence, and when reproductive healthcare is stripped away from those who need it most.
But the harm doesn’t stop at the exam room. It ripples outward to our workplaces, our communities, and our economy.
Economists have long warned that reproductive freedom is foundational to women’s economic mobility. When women lose control over our bodies, we also lose the ability to plan our futures. To finish school. To keep our jobs. To build financial security for our families.
And the data is clear: Indiana’s abortion ban is already costing us dearly.
In 2024, our state lost an estimated $4.26 billion in economic activity as a result of reproductive health restrictions. That’s nearly 0.8% of our total GDP. We’re also losing more than 17,000 workers annually—1.8% of Indiana’s labor force—as women exit the workforce or are forced to scale back their participation due to unplanned pregnancies, childcare demands, and health complications that could have been avoided with access to care. (Institute for Womens’ Policy Research)
These numbers aren’t hypothetical. They’re backed by national research and state-level modeling. And they represent a stark truth: the abortion ban is not just a health policy—it’s an economic policy, and it’s one that’s pushing Indiana in the wrong direction.
And the impacts are not felt equally.
Black and brown women—already more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes—are also more likely to be economically vulnerable. Now, they face an even steeper climb. More than half of all Black working-age women in America live in states with abortion bans. In Indiana, these women are being asked to survive not only systemic injustice, but a policy that disregards their health, their agency, and their contributions.
This isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a workforce issue. It’s a business issue. It’s an Indiana issue.
Companies cannot thrive in a state that actively limits the potential of half its workforce. Communities cannot grow when opportunity is held hostage by ideology. And our children—born into environments of economic and emotional instability—cannot flourish if their mothers are not safe, supported, and empowered.
At Women4Change, we believe that reproductive rights are human rights. That women should have the freedom to determine their futures, not just in theory, but in practice. We also believe that no one should be forced into motherhood because their state refuses to trust them.
Indiana can and must do better. We need to restore access to care, protect our healthcare providers, and recognize that women’s health is not a partisan issue—it’s a public imperative. Because when women are safe, supported, and able to make choices about their lives, everyone benefits.
We will continue to fight. For the women in our communities. For the families being forced into crisis. For the future Indiana deserves—one where choice is honored, dignity is protected, and prosperity isn’t sacrificed in the name of control.
This moment demands more than outrage. It demands action. Let’s not look back in ten years and wonder how we let this happen. Let’s stand up now and say: not in our state. Not in our name.
Angie Carr Klitzsch is the CEO of Women4Change Indiana, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Hoosiers to engage in democracy and advocating for equitable outcomes for women and girls in Indiana.