Indiana abortion clinic also sees patients from Kentucky and Tennessee while new law is halted
After a judge temporarily blocked Indiana’s near-total abortion ban last week, some clinics that provide abortions have resumed services.
For now, abortion in Indiana is legal for anyone up to 20 weeks. However, other pre-existing regulations, including two separate trips to an abortion care provider, are still in effect.
The halt was positive news for Women’s Med, which provides abortions at a clinic in Indianapolis.
“We will continue to provide abortions as long as they are legal and as long as we are able to in the state of Indiana, so it just it’s up to the courts now,” said a clinic representative who asked WFYI not to use their name because they fear threats to their personal safety.
Women’s Med saw an uptick in services before Indiana’s abortion law went into effect, and requests for services have been gradually increasing again as more people become aware of the judge’s decision to temporarily block the ban.
“I think women are very confused by the on again off again situation, where states are opening and then closing and then opening again,” the Women’s Med representative said. “It’s very hard to keep track.”
Women’s Med has seen recent patients from Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois. While abortion is legal in Illinois, high wait times at clinics in the state have caused residents to travel to Indiana for services.
The lawsuit that led to the abortion law being blocked was filed by the ACLU of Indiana on behalf of Indiana abortion care providers Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky; Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, Women’s Med Group Professional Corporation, and All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center. A judge moved to block the ban, saying the law likely violates Indiana’s constitution. The state has since appealed.
“This can be a very long and arduous process working through the legal part of the suit,” the Women’s Med representative said. “We’re just prepared for anything at this point.”
Contact reporter Darian Benson at dbenson@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @helloimdarian.