Indiana’s “Free Speech” Argument on Abortion is Nonsense
The abortion lobby never runs out of ways to twist the law to fit its agenda. The latest example comes out of Indiana, where Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are challenging a 2017 law that makes it a crime to aid a minor in obtaining an abortion without parental consent.
What is the supposed constitutional crisis? According to abortion activists, the law violates “free speech” because it prevents adults from telling minors where they can get an abortion, even in another state. In other words, they claim that criminalizing the act of helping a child circumvent parental authority is no different than censoring a newspaper. That is nonsense.
The Real Issue: Protecting Families, Not Silencing Speech
Indiana’s law is not about muzzling free speech. It is about protecting children and preserving parental rights. Every parent has the right to be involved in the most serious medical decision their minor child could ever face. The law does not stop someone from talking about abortion. It stops adults from aiding and abetting a child to get one secretly.
The abortion industry wants to blur this line because it profits from secrecy and fear. By dressing up their case in First Amendment language, they are trying to turn what is clearly an issue of parental authority and child protection into a free speech showdown. That framing is dishonest.
No One Buys the Double Standard
As Judge David Hamilton noted during arguments, if this were about gambling, smoking, or drugs, no one would be arguing that it is free speech to tell a minor how to break the law. We all understand the difference between speech and participation. But when it comes to abortion, suddenly the rules are supposed to change. Why? Because abortion activists demand special treatment for abortion at every turn.
Planned Parenthood’s Desperation
It is also telling that Planned Parenthood continues to press this lawsuit even though it no longer holds an active clinic license in Indiana. Their doctors claim they could be harmed if their licenses are threatened. What this really shows is that the abortion industry will do whatever it takes to keep loopholes open so that even without clinics, they can influence, direct, and pressure young girls toward abortion.
Why It Matters for Missouri
Here in Missouri, we have seen these same tactics at work. The other side knows they cannot win on the merits, so they hide behind slogans like free speech, privacy, and choice while ignoring the harm abortion inflicts on both mother and child. If courts allow abortion activists to redefine aiding a minor as speech, then parents across the country lose their right to protect their own children.
That is why we must remain vigilant. Missouri’s Amendment 3 is about protecting life, protecting families, and protecting the integrity of our laws. The abortion industry’s legal gymnastics in Indiana are a preview of the nonsense they will try here. We cannot allow deception to carry the day.