On Thursday, an Indiana judge blocked an abortion ban that went into effect last week, giving abortion advocates in the state the opportunity to argue that the ban violates the state constitution.
In a special session in August, Indiana lawmakers banned abortion with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and serious medical conditions that endangers the pregnant person’s long-term health. The law went into effect last week. Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb presented the law as a the fulfillment of a pledge he had made to Hoosiers that “to support legislation that made progress in protecting life.”
Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon issued the injunction on the basis that “there is reasonable likelihood that this significant restriction of personal autonomy offends the liberty guarantees of the Indiana Constitution.”
Whole Woman’s Health, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, issued a statement saying they are “proud—once again—to prevail in a legal challenge to yet another abortion ban in Indiana.” While they are not able to resume abortion care in their South Bend clinic right away, they “remain committed to providing abortion care” in the state.
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