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The first new abortion ban passed by a state legislature since the overturning of Roe v. Wade this summer is set to take effect Thursday in Indiana.
Indiana lawmakers passed legislation banning most abortions in a special session in early August. It includes narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and certain serious medical complications and emergencies.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, issued a statement soon after lawmakers approved the bill saying he was signing it into law as part of a promise he’d made “to support legislation that made progress in protecting life.” Holcomb said the law includes “carefully negotiated exceptions to address some of the unthinkable circumstances a woman or unborn child might face.”
Reproductive rights groups including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and others are challenging Indiana’s law in state court. A hearing in that case is set for Sept. 19, four days after the law’s effective date.
For now, abortion providers in the state will not be able to offer the procedure in most situations. In a statement, Whole Woman’s Health of South Bend said it would be forced to stop providing abortions but would continue operating its clinic there to provide “support to all who seek abortion services, and to continue its activism and organizing to roll back cruel, unjust anti-abortion laws.
