Legal battle over abortion continues, reactions to temporary block on abortion ban
SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- The near-total ban on abortion signed off by Governor Holcomb lasted just a week here in the Hoosier state. For now, abortion providers like Whole Woman’s Health and Planned Parenthood will be back to work providing abortions to patients, whereas local pro-life advocates are remaining hopeful that the block remains only temporary.
“I think the judge’s ruling today was the right one,” says Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest.
“We’re disappointed with the ruling,” says Executive Director of Voices for Life, Melanie Garcia Lyon.
The legal battle over abortion continues in the Hoosier state. While the court’s ruling is a temporary injunction, abortion was made temporary legal on Thursday after a Monroe County judge’s decision to place a block on the near-total ban.
“With this injunction handed down today, independent providers and Planned Parenthood will be able to resume care for patients in their home state,” says Gibron.
It’s a victory for the plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit against the state of Indiana, which motioned the block on abortion.
“We’re the happy that the judge ruled in our favor in this initial start of this fight,”Gibron says.
It’s not a victory for all Hoosiers however, including pro-life advocates and political figures. Governor Eric Holcomb addressed the block, saying quote:
“Laws, especially ones that carry with them significant change in policy, are frequently challenged in court and SEA 1 is no different.”
Local activists also recognize the frequent challenges to abortion laws.
“The Indiana Constitution clearly upholds the right to life of Hoosiers, but it’s not really unexpected. There’s kind of a history of judicial activism when it comes to abortion in Indiana,” says Lyon.
In the meantime, abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood are preparing their teams to provide for patients again.
“We’re pulling our teams together now to make sure that we’ve got the providers in place that we need, we’ve got the supplies we need, taking a look at our schedules, making sure that we’ve got all the systems in place so that we can resume abortion access,” says Gibron.
Hoosier Conservative Voices are also back to work, offering support to women seeking abortions and trying to reduce the number of abortions happening each day.
“For every day that the law isn’t in place, 23 children will die unfortunately, so time really is of the essence and this will have a huge impact,” Lyon says.