(NewsReady.com) – In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, states have passed various laws regarding abortion. Indiana passed legislation that would ban almost all terminations in the state. After a long battle, the law has taken effect.
On August 1, Indiana’s ban on most abortions took effect. The law prohibits terminations except in cases of rape or incest, fetal abnormalities, or when the mother’s life is at risk. If someone is raped or gets pregnant as a result of incest, they will only be allowed to undergo the procedure up to 10 weeks gestation. In cases of fatal fetal abnormalities, abortions will only be allowed up to 20 weeks. Those are usually detected by doctors in weeks 18 to 23. So, if a fetus has an abnormality that isn’t detected until weeks 21 and on, the mother will have to carry it to term.
Indiana was once a place where people from other red states could go to receive the procedure. For example, in 2022, Dr. Caitlin Bernard made national headlines when she told a story about a 10-year-old girl from Ohio traveling to Indiana to receive an abortion after she was sexually assaulted. The state medical board later reprimanded the doctor for violating privacy laws.
The Hoosier State is now the 15th in the union to adopt a near-total abortion ban in the wake of the Dobbs decision that stripped women of federal abortion rights.
In some states, citizens have campaigned for ballot initiatives. In Indiana, there’s no mechanism for a citizen-led initiative that could overturn the law. That gives pro-life lawmakers in the predominately Republican state the freedom to protect life with little interference from Democrats or the state’s citizens.
Planned Parenthood is currently fighting the law. In the meantime, clinics and hospitals in the state have already put their prohibitions in place.
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