On Tuesday, a federal judge issued permanent injunctions against several Indiana laws that restrict abortion access, ruling them unconstitutional. Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana blocked a number of Indiana abortion laws that had been challenged in court by a 2018 lawsuit brought by Whole Women’s […]
Indiana “Abortion Reversal” Law Blocked by Federal Judge
A federal judge blocked an Indiana abortion law from going into effect that would have required abortion providers to give misinformation to patients seeking a medication abortion. The law said doctors were obligated to tell their patients about the possibility of “abortion reversal”—a contested process for potentially stopping an abortion that has no scientific backing. […]
Indiana Law Requiring Medical Providers Report Abortion Complications Struck Down
Yesterday a federal judge deemed an Indiana law that required medical providers to report to the state complications their patients experienced after an abortion unconstitutional. The lawsuit was brought against Indiana by the ACLU of Indiana on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. Judge Richard Young stated in his opinion that the law was […]
Women in Viral Video Sue Indianapolis Police for Excessive Use of Force
Two women have filed an excessive force lawsuit against four Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers who were captured on video using batons and pepper balls to subdue them at a protest against police violence on May 31. The federal lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana on behalf of Ivoré Westfield […]
Historic Wins for Women of Color Down the Ballot
On Tuesday, nine states and the District of Columbia held primary elections. These elections resulted in historic gains for women, particularly for women of color. In spite of current circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests, voter turnout was impressive and women candidates of color prevailed in primaries for Congress, state legislatures, and local […]
Seven Midwest States Announce Their Plan to Partner on Reopening
On Thursday, governors from seven Midwestern states announced that they will coordinate on reopening the Midwest regional economy. The Midwest pact joins the Northeast and West Coast in an effort to coordinate amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Midwest bipartisan effort includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kentucky. In the governors’ collaboration, they announced […]
Supreme Court Agrees to a Compromise on Indiana’s Anti-Abortion Law
Today, the Supreme Court agreed to a compromise regarding a restrictive Indiana anti-abortion, upholding part of the law that regulates the disposal of fetal remains while dismissing an appeal to reinstate the part of the law that banned abortions on the basis of fetal characteristics. The court’s decision argued that regulating fetal remains “does not […]
Indiana Looks to Supreme Court to Implement Anti-abortion Law
The state of Indiana has requested the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court injunction that blocked a law requiring women receiving an abortion to also receive an ultrasound at least 18 hours prior to the procedure, which adds a waiting period and two different appointments to receive an abortion. The Planned Parenthood of Indiana […]
Kavanaugh’s First Abortion Case May be an Indiana Law that Mike Pence Signed
Recently, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill appealed to the Supreme Court to review a lawsuit against an Indiana anti-abortion law that restricts abortion access as well as enforces regulations on how to dispose fetal tissue. This could be the first case on abortion restrictions that the Supreme Court rules on since Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and […]
Anti-Abortion Extremists Flood Indianapolis
This week, members of the extremist anti-abortion group Operation Save America stormed Indianapolis in an attempt to harass doctors, staff and patients of three local reproductive health clinics. OSA’s leader has made it clear that he believes women should be subject to criminal prosecution—even the death penalty—for accessing an abortion.
Indiana Clinic Forced to Close After Anti-Abortion Harassment
The Fort Wayne, Indiana Planned Parenthood clinic is closing because of harassment from anti-reproductive rights activists.
University of Notre Dame Health Insurance Will No Longer Cover Birth Control
Early this week, the University of Notre Dame announced that beginning in January 2018 the university insurance plan will no longer include birth control coverage for students except in cases where it is being used “for a medical condition and not as pregnancy prevention.”
Senate Confirms Amy Coney Barrett to 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
On Tuesday, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as a United States Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. A law professor at the University of Notre Dame, Barrett has been widely opposed due to her past statements that judges’ Catholic beliefs should take precedent over the United States Constitution.
Whole Woman’s Health Alliance Announces the Opening of Two New Clinics
This week, the Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA) announced that they will be opening two new clinics, one in Charlottesville, Virginia and the other in South Bend, Indiana. While there was resistance from anti-abortion protesters, this announcement was met with resounding support from a number of women’s health advocates.
Wins for Abortion Access in Indiana and Kentucky
Last week, two laws that made it more difficult to obtain an abortion in the states of Indiana and Kentucky were struck down in a win for abortion access in the United States.
US District Court Strikes Down Texas’s Revised Voter ID Law
United States District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos handed down a decision to strike down Texas’s revised voter ID law (Senate Bill 5) on the basis that it continues to discriminate against African American and Latino voters. Judge Gonzalez Ramos issued a 27 page decision on the 23rd of August stating that the voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act and is unconstitutional.
Indiana Lawmaker Intends to Introduce Total Abortion Ban
A lawmaker in Indiana intends to introduce a bill in January that would criminalize abortion in all cases, including when the mother’s life is at risk.
Purvi Patel Released from Prison Today
Purvi Patel, the woman whose 20 year feticide conviction for self-inducing an abortion was recently overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals, was released from jail this morning.
An Important Precedent Set in the Case of Purvi Patel
Last month, a state appeals court overturned Indiana woman Purvi Patel’s feticide conviction, finding that the “Indiana legislature did not intended for the feticide statute to apply to illegal abortions or to be used to prosecute women for their own abortions.”
Indiana Court Hears Arguments to Free Purvi Patel, Imprisoned for Abortion
More than a year after she was sentenced to 20 years prison for terminating her pregnancy, Purvi Patel finally had the opportunity to have her case heard by the Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday.
