Indiana State Senator Pat Miller on Wednesday withdrew her bill to regulate assisted reproduction. The measure would have effectively banned gay couples and single individuals from access, and would have required married couples to undergo invasive questioning before being approved by the state. In a brief statement, Miller said she decided to drop the proposal because “the issue has become more complex than anticipated,” according to the Associated Press. The Indianapolis Star reports that it is still possible she will reintroduce the legislation next January.
The bill immediately drew criticism from organizations such as Planned Parenthood of Indiana and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, and received intense media coverage. Matthew Tully, columnist for the Indianapolis Star, wrote that “a day after the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette wrote about the issue, outrage was all over the Internet. Numerous news outlets, from Ms. Magazine to the Chicago Sun-Times, posted the story.” Tully went on to say that the statehouse was flooded with outraged phone calls in response to Miller’s proposal, and the pressure likely led to her retraction.
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