Indiana state Rep. Rita Fleming announced Monday that she is retiring, citing a desire to spend more time with her family.
THE Democratic legislator of Jeffersonville, in southern Indiana, was first elected to the Statehouse in 2018. Fleming’s statement said she is leaving office immediately.
“I have 15 grandchildren, and they and the rest of my family are my priority,” Fleming said in a statement. “Legislative sessions run long at the Statehouse in Indianapolis and it takes a lot of work to properly represent House District 71.”
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Fleming faced a rematch in the general election against Republican Scott Hawkins, whom she narrowly defeated in 2022 by a margin of about one point. A caucus will choose her replacement during the November ballot.
Fleming was the ranking minority member of the Insurance Committee and served on the Natural Resources and Public Health committees.
INDIANAPOLIS – JULY 16: The statue of George Washington stands outside the Indiana State Capitol building on July 16, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
A retired obstetrician-gynecologist, Fleming is known for authoring and supporting legislation related to reproductive health care, including a 2022 law that prohibits the shackling of female inmates during labor and delivery.
This year, she authored a bill requiring hospitals to offer postpartum Medicaid patients birth control. Democrats split on the issue after a committee removed the option to offer intrauterine devices, or IUDs.
The final law signed by Republican Governor Eric Holcomb requires hospitals to offer such patients a birth control option with a subcutaneous contraceptive implant in the arm after delivery.
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“As a retired physician with decades of experience under her belt, Rita’s empathy, care and first-hand knowledge have helped her improve Indiana’s public health and health care policy ” Democratic state Rep. Phil GiaQuinta said in a statement.
