INDIANAPOLIS — In our WTHR 2024 election survey, we asked what you think is the single most important issue right now.
Among the more than 1,000 people who responded, more selected "abortion" than any other topic.
Earlier this year, Ball State University released the results of its annual "Hoosier Survey" and found approximately 31% of people think abortion should be legal in most cases. Nearly 28% believe it should be legal in all cases. Meanwhile, approximately 27% think it should be illegal in most cases, and 10% think it should be completely illegal in all cases.
(NOTE: The video above is from a previous report on the race for Indiana governor.)
State lawmakers banned abortion in Indiana in 2023 with a few exceptions. Those include cases of rape or incest, to protect the life and physical health of the mother, and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly.
The divisive issue has, not surprisingly, become a hot-button issue in the race for governor. So, 13News asked each candidate whether they are satisfied with the law in Indiana as it stands today.
"Our side is going to generally be for something with reasonable exceptions. And I think our state legislature crafted that, and it's been upheld in the courts," Republican nominee Sen. Mike Braun said. "I think the law is the law. It's been out there. We were the first state to come up with it. We are a pro-life state. That doesn't mean that you get it right out of the gate, but for me, one that believes in the sanctity of life, it is the law."
Jennifer McCormick, the Democratic nominee for governor, said she would work to legalize abortion if elected.
"We need a governor who will fight to restore reproductive rights and freedoms that were taken away from women," McCormick said. "I trust women. I trust our physicians. Abortion is complex, and it's got a lot of emotions, but women need to be able to make that decision about their health care with their own faith, their own physicians, and then those they deem who they want to bring into that circle."
Libertarian Donald Rainwater described himself as a "pro-life libertarian."
"I believe that the current law needs to go through all the legal process. One of the reasons that we have three branches of government is for checks and balances, and so I think that the process in the courts needs to play out," Rainwater said. "I think we should be constantly reviewing all of our statutes and determining, 'are these appropriate? Does this protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without infringing on someone else?'"
Click here for more information from WTHR's newsgathering partners at the Indiana Capital Chronicle.