On Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky sued that state of Indiana over its recently signed abortion law which prohibits the procedure if sought due to fetal abnormalities. Together with the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood said the new state law is unconstitutional.
The Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Governor Mike Pence signed the new law last month. The measure bans abortion because of genetic abnormalities, which also include those that can lead to later miscarriages. It also mandates every fetal remains to be either buried or cremated, making it one of the most restrictive states in the US when it comes to abortion.
The lawsuit indicates that Planned Parenthood is asking for an injunction on the new state law, which was filed by the ACLU on behalf of the nonprofit organization in Indiana chapter, reports Reuters. Ken Falk, legal director of ACLU in Indiana, argued that the US top court has repeatedly stressed that a woman and not the state, is to determine whether or not to obtain an abortion. Falk claimed that the attempt of Indiana to invade a woman's privacy is unprecedented and unconstitutional.
There have been no comments yet from the medical licensing board while the health department referred all queries to the attorney general's office. Kara Brooks, Mike Pence's press secretary, stated that the governor is confident that the law is constitutional. According to CBS News, the case will be forwarded to US District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, who ruled against a law that would ban entities who perform abortions from getting state funding in 2012.
Indiana has become the second state in the US to ban abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of disabilities such as Down syndrome. Planned Parenthood does not ask patients to disclose their reasons for obtaining an abortion, but under the new measure, physicians would be mandated to report if a fetal anomaly was present prior to the controversial procedure.
