“We won a lot from the Indiana Supreme Court! They upheld our order to block Indiana’s abortion ban,” Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, which operates several abortion clinics, including in Indiana, said in a tweet. “We may in any case remain open for the provision of abortion care until the hearing date of January 12, 2023!”
Indiana Right to Life CEO Mike Fichter said he was “deeply disappointed” with the Supreme Court’s decision.
“We estimate that at least 3,000 unborn babies, whose lives might otherwise have been saved, will now needlessly die from abortion as the law still remains blocked,” Fichter said. “There will be thousands more dead pending a final verdict after the January hearing. While we are sure the law will be enforced, it will be far too late for those whose lives will be lost, as argued in the courts.”
According to the Indiana Department of Health8,414 abortions were performed in the state in 2021.
Indiana’s Republican-controlled legislature passed the new abortion law in August, which bans abortions except in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or life-threatening situation. In debates over the bill, Republican lawmakers have been divided on the issue of rape and incest exceptions, especially after the high-profile case of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana to undergo an abortion after being raped.
With the latest ruling, abortion remains legal in the state until 20 weeks after conception, or 22 weeks of pregnancy.
