Posted by Amanda Lents - email
Update: Vanderburgh County Commissioner Troy Tornatta issued the following statement to 14 News in regarding to a new controversial county ordinance:
"For almost two years, I have been the minority watchdog member of the Vanderburgh County Commission. My goal has always been to be sure all decisions were made after appropriate public comment. The original draft of the "patient safety" ordinance was seven pages. It was drafted by Ted Ziemer, the County Attorney. I circulated it to various parties, including the local hospitals. The hospitals took issue with the draft and over the next couple of months it was reduced to two pages. While I believe the ordinance, as passed, represents good public policy, I agree with the criticism that there should have been more opportunity for public comment invited by the commission. As the minority member, I do not control the agenda of the Commission. However, I could have, and should have, made more public noise about the "patient safety" proposal, in spite of the request made to me by Mr. Korb that we pass the matter on first and final readings at the same meeting. I apologize for not doing so. As long as I am a Commissioner, this will not happen again without my strong public objection."
By Liz Nichols
Posted by Mike Mardis
The floor opens for some heated public comment at a Tri-State County Commissioners Meeting. It centers around a controversial new ordinance passed two weeks ago. Many were not necessary upset with the ordinance itself, but the manner in which it was passed.
"I'm very disappointed in my government right now," said a local woman to her County Commissioners.
"I make no apologies for what we did. I make an apology for how we did it, but not for the actual votes," Jeff Korb, President of the Vanderburgh County Commissioners, said.
County commissioners answer back to the public after they passed a controversial new law regarding abortion. There were two different issues brought up at Tuesday night's meeting: First, there's the ordinance itself which states: a physician may not perform an abortion in Vanderburgh county unless the physician has admitting privileges at a hospital within the county or an adjacent county. The physician also must notify the patient of a local hospital where she can receive follow up care.
Bill Butterfield brought up idea for ordinance after Indiana Lawmakers struck down a similar law in the last session.
"If an abortion clinic is going to bring in a doctor who cannot pass the credentials of a doctor, he shouldn't be here," Butterfield said.
Jeff Korb's comments echo that sentiment: "It's not an anti-abortion issue for us, it was a health issue."
Not everyone agreed with that. A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis calls the law "unnecessary" because there are no abortion clinics currently in Southwestern Indiana. A local Right to Life spokesperson countered the claims, saying the new ordinance was "proactive."
The other issue was how the ordinance was passed in the first place. At their regular meeting two weeks ago, the word "abortion" was never mentioned, except on the agenda. It was introduced, approved and passed within one minute. People in the audience this week say they weren't aware what was being discussed then, and they made their opinions known. A few spoke with us after the meeting had adjourned.
"They know the word abortion is a loaded word. They virtually said that in there, but that should have been mentioned," State Representative Phil Hoy said.
"I really don't think it was the, the uh, the ordinance itself. For some people it may be, but for me personally, I just think it was the way the commissioners went about it," resident Andrew Mickens, who attended the meeting, said.
The commissioners did apologize for the way the ordinance was passed, but still believe in it, and said they would not go back and strike it down.
Members of the public and the commissioners did agree tonight's meeting was productive. to prove that the issue was not about abortion, Commissioner Korb said he would not be opposed to taking the ordinance further to include other medical procedures.
The next meeting of the Vanderburgh County Commissioners in on September 2nd.
Click here to see the full ordinance.
