In 2017, an Indiana family’s adoption of a child from Ethiopia was stalled following the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia’s decision to suspend international adoptions. The order left more than 200 U.S. families, and the Ethiopian children they were trying to bring home, in a heartbreaking limbo. I raised the issue with the former Ethiopian Ambassador in phone calls, directed staff to maintain regular contact with the embassy, highlighted the issue in a hearing with a top Department of State official, and led two letters signed by hundreds of members of Congress.
I recently met with Kassa Tekleberhan Gebrehiwot, Ethiopia’s new Ambassador to the United States, in order to continue advocating for Hoosier families with pending adoptions.
By introducing the Support Working Families Act (S. 2437), I have fought to allow a refundable tax credit for a parent who takes leave from employment after the birth or adoption of a child.
I worked to expedite the time it takes to place children into loving homes by modernizing the outdated interstate child placement process by introducing the Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act.
I helped introduce the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311), to require appropriate care and admission to hospital of babies that survive an attempted abortion. Passage of this legislation has repeatedly been blocked.
I helped introduce the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S. 160), which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, with exceptions.
I wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr calling for his assistance in Illinois and Indiana’s investigation into late Indiana abortionist, Dr. Ulrich “George” Klopfer. The letter followed the recent horrific discovery of more than 2,200 fetal remains in his Illinois home. Dr. Klopfe performed abortions in South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Gary for decades.
