Supreme Court Issues Mixed Order on Indiana Abortion Restrictions

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The U.S. Supreme Court today issued a mixed ruling on two Indiana abortion restrictions. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood had challenged two laws. The first banned certain abortions based on the state’s disapproval of a woman’s reason for the decision, namely it would have made it a crime to provide an abortion if the woman decided to end the pregnancy because of a fetal diagnosis, or based on the sex, race, national origin, or ancestry of the fetus. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the ban was unconstitutional and today the Supreme Court declined to review that ruling.

The second law requires embryonic and fetal tissue from an abortion or miscarriage to be buried or cremated. The Seventh Circuit also held that law unconstitutional, but today in a limited ruling the Supreme Court reversed that decision.

The laws were challenged by the ACLU of Indiana, the ACLU, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

Jennifer Dalven, Director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, released the following statement:

“Today the Court let another unwarranted restriction on abortion stand. While this ruling is limited, the law is part of a larger trend of state laws designed to stigmatize and drive abortion care out of reach. Whether it’s a total ban or a law designed to shut down clinics, politicians are lining up to decimate access to abortion. The ACLU will continue to fight to ensure that every person who needs an abortion can get one.”

Ken Falk, legal director at the ACLU of Indiana, issued the following statement:

“The Court’s decision today upholds a woman’s right to decide to have an abortion, no matter the reason. The Court’s decision on the provision of the law pertaining to the disposition of fetal tissue may have been struck down had it been reviewed – as subsequent laws in other states have been – based on whether it poses an undue burden on a woman’s right to have an abortion. We will continue to fight to ensure Hoosiers have safe access to abortion.”