Wabash County Democratic Chairman Criticizes State Representative Lorissa Sweet for Authoring Extreme and Dangerous Provisions of House Bill 1334
Wabash County, IN – January 13, 2025 – The Wabash County Democratic Party today expressed deep concern over State Representative Lorissa Sweet’s authoring House Bill 1334, a radical piece of legislation that fundamentally alters Indiana’s criminal code and poses grave risks to women’s health, reproductive rights, and the safety of families across the state.
Chairman of the Wabash County Democratic Party, Chad Harris, condemned Representative Sweet for authoring the bill, which would modify the definition of a “human being” in the criminal code to include an unborn child. This move would have profound legal and social consequences, and is widely viewed as an extreme step toward restricting access to safe, legal abortions and limiting the rights of women and families.
“Representative Sweet’s support for House Bill 1334 is a clear example of her disconnect with the majority of Hoosiers,” said Harris. “This bill is not only radical, but it also jeopardizes women’s autonomy over their own bodies and brings unnecessary legal risks into families’ lives. It seeks to redefine fundamental legal principles in ways that harm Indiana women and families, and will likely have serious unintended consequences in our courts and communities.”
House Bill 1334 would have several troubling effects, including:
Redefining “Human Being”: The bill would alter the definition of a “human being” in the criminal code to include an unborn child, thereby making it easier to prosecute pregnant women and others involved in any abortion or pregnancy loss. This move could result in criminal charges against individuals who make personal, private decisions about their pregnancies, undermining both individual freedoms and healthcare rights.
Eliminating Protections for Women’s Health: The bill removes crucial language from the criminal code that currently protects women from being prosecuted for abortions that may be performed under certain health-related circumstances. By repealing this language, Representative Sweet and supporters of this bill would strip protections for women facing complicated pregnancies, further complicating access to vital healthcare services.
Repealing Feticide Statutes: The bill also proposes repealing the crime of feticide, a dangerous move that could blur the lines of legal accountability in tragic circumstances. This could lead to the potential criminalization of actions that would traditionally fall under existing laws related to harm caused to pregnant women.
Application of Homicide and Battery Laws to Unborn Children: The bill would allow for the application of homicide and battery laws to include unborn children, making it possible for individuals to face prosecution in a wider range of cases, including situations where no intentional harm was meant. This expansion could put vulnerable women and their families at risk in situations that were never intended to cause harm.
“This bill reflects a fundamental disregard for the privacy, health, and rights of women in Indiana,” said Harris. “By authoring House Bill 1334, Representative Sweet is putting forward an extreme agenda that would impose unnecessary criminal penalties and limit access to healthcare, all while disregarding the lived experiences and difficult decisions of Hoosier families.”
The Wabash County Democratic Party is committed to advocating for policies that protect women’s rights, preserve access to reproductive healthcare, and ensure that families can make personal decisions free from unnecessary government interference. Representative Sweet’s support for House Bill 1334 is a dangerous step backward for Hoosiers, and it’s clear that the majority of residents in Wabash County and across Indiana do not support this radical approach.
“The people of Wabash County and Indiana deserve leadership that listens to their concerns, values their autonomy, and ensures that personal decisions are made by women and their families—not politicians in Indianapolis,” concluded Harris. “We will continue to stand against this extreme agenda and fight for commonsense solutions that respect the rights and dignity of all Hoosiers.”
Chad HarrisChairman,
Wabash County Democratic Party
