Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Judge Set To Hear Arugments In Suit Against New IN Abortion Restrictions

Joe Gratz
/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joegratz/117048243

A federal judge has set a hearing next month to consider a bid to block Indiana’s new abortion law.

Known as House Enrolled Act 1337, the law bans abortions based on a fetus's gender, race or genetic disability, such as Down syndrome.    

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed suit on behalf of Planned Parenthood in an effort to prevent that law from taking effect in July.

Governor Mike Pence and anti-abortion advocates have said the law values the unborn and the disabled.

ACLU executive director Jane Henegar says the law is unconstitutional and violates privacy rights.

She says attorneys are gearing up for the June 14 hearing.  

"The parties on both sides – ACLU for Planned Parenthood, and the state of Indiana – will be submitting briefs and other supporting documentation to the court in support of their respective arguments," she says. 

Federal courts have struck down two other Indiana anti-abortion laws in the past five years.

In response to the lawsuit filed last month, Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter issued a statement. "Hoosiers believe all lives have value and Planned Parenthood's opposition to this law just shows how extreme on abortion they truly are," he says. 

Related Content