A law banning almost all abortions is in effect now in Indiana, with narrow exceptions. The lawmakers of Indiana passed legislation in August this year in a special Indiana House session. After Roe v. Wade’s overturning by the US Supreme Court, Indiana is the latest US state to impose restrictions on abortion in all stages of pregnancy. On the other hand, Ohio blocked the same law temporarily.
The Law
The limited exceptions include severe medical complications, incest, rape, and emergencies. Any crisis to a woman’s life, fell fetal anomalies are exceptions in which one can abort the child, but not after twenty weeks of post-fertilization. In case of incest or rape, the law allows abortion up to ten weeks of post-fertilization.
The law says that abortion clinics are no longer licensed and cannot offer abortion procedures in most cases. A licensed hospital or an outpatient or ambulatory surgical center authorized by any licensed hospital can perform the procedure.
The Penalty
Violating the law will be subject to a penalty of a maximum of six years of imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Indiana already prohibits medication abortion after eight weeks post-fertilization.
The Challenge
A non-profit pregnancy resource and abortion-providing center went to the court seeking to stop the ban. They argue that it may be a breach of privacy rights and may hamper equal privileges. They said physicians would also fear permitting abortion even in a severe case.
The hearing on this lawsuit is still awaited in court. The organization has asked for a temporary stay order on this ban.
Some right groups are also challenging this law in court. The abortion-providing organizations said they would continue to stand by people seeking an abortion and called this law unjust and cruel.
What about other states
West Virginia is also heading towards enacting this abortion ban law. But An Ohio court has blocked the law banning abortion around six weeks post-fertilization. The Ohio judge has stayed the law for the next fourteen days making abortion legal in the state within twenty weeks of post-fertilization.
