Conservatives will come to regret their “shut up and dribble” (or “manufacture” or “sell”) retorts to people and corporations that won’t like their policies, because their hostility to public opinion will cost them. Just ask the GOP-dominated Indiana legislature: major employers in the state have announced their intentions of shifting operations from Indiana because of their newly-passed law banning abortions, the New York Times reports.
On Friday night, the Republicans in the Indiana passed and signed into law a virtual complete ban on abortion in the state; GOP Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill, SB 1, into law after it was rushed through the legislature in one day, with both the state senate and the state legislature voting on the bill after 3 p.m. local time, and Holcomb signing it in early night.
Pharma giant Eli Lilly, the state’s largest private employer, announced Saturday that it will have to shift operations out of the state because it does not feel it can attract and keep the quality and quantity of employees it needs to run its operations in the state.
Cummins, a major manufacturer of engines for cars, trucks and other machinery which has 10,000 employees in Indiana also made a similar statement. “The right to make decisions regarding reproductive health ensures that women have the same opportunity as others to participate fully in our work force and that our work force is diverse. There are provisions in the bill that conflict with this, impact our people and impede our ability to attract and retain top talent,” said Jon Mills, a spokesman for Cummins, noting that the company informed state Republicans that their actions would have detrimental effects.