T?he assisted reproduction bill, a bill that was proposed in the state of Indiana prohibiting gays, lesbians and single people from using medical procedures to produce a child, was dropped by its sponsor, Indiana State Sen. Patricia Miller.

The bill originally defined assisted reproduction as causing pregnancy by means other than sexual intercourse.

While we praise the state of Indiana for coming to its senses and dropping the whole thing, we at the Campus Times find it disturbing that this was even an issue in the first place.

Can’t the state of Indiana come up with something better to think about? They are taking an issue, which delves into the private lives of American citizens and making it government business.

Betty Cockrum, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood in Indiana said it best: “It feels pretty chilling. It is governmental intrusion into a very private part of our lives.”

Chilling indeed. The last thing people needed were a couple of big whigs in the Indiana government telling them whether they could have children or not. It is a different world these days. Homosexuals, unmarried couples and single parents are becoming more accepted, although work remains to be done, and this sort of legislative nonsense works against progress for freedom, not for it.

The bill requires that a doctor could not go forth with the assisted reproduction process until the intended parents had received a passing assessment. This assessment consists of basic background questions such as education, employment information and so forth.

The bill simply would have been a step in a very bad direction, not only for the state, but also for our nation. Had the bill passed, it is possible that other states would have followed suit leading down a slippery slope to who knows what end.

Let us ask ourselves one question: What danger is Indiana facing that causes them to bring this bill forth? None. They are saying that only married people should allowed to be parents. This is an emphatic slap in the face to a great deal of same-sex couples, unmarried couples and single parents in that state and everywhere else. It is not the government’s job to place superficial prerequisites on people who want to raise a child?

Whether you support homosexuality or not, inviting the government to regulate who can and can’t be a parent invites a society where eugenics is the status quo.

Praise cannot be given to Senator Miller for dropping the bill because she has never really changed her mind on the issue. The realization of just how difficult it would be to push this bill through legislation dropped on her head like an anvil.

Within days after the story broke about this bill being introduced to legislation it was dropped by Miller who issued a statement to the press saying: “The issue has become more complex than anticipated and will be withdrawn from consideration by the Health Finance Commission.” She also described the issue as “multifaceted.”

Really, Sen. Miller? The bill was more complex than you thought it would be? Do you think she even knew what kind of mess she was getting herself into? Who would have thought that having the government regulate decisions of American citizens on whether they should be a parent or not would be so complex and difficult to deal with?

Let us just end this by saying thank you Indiana for not telling citizens whether they can parent based on their marital situation.