Organizations and area leaders react to injunction blocking Indiana's abortion ban

An Indiana judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing SB1, which prohibits abortion with limited exceptions.

Multiple organizations have issued statements regarding the injunction.

The plaintiffs in the case,  Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, ACLU of Indiana, Whole Woman’s Health, All-Options, the Lawyering Project, and Women’s Med issued this statement:

We knew this ban would cause irreparable harm to Hoosiers, and in just a single week, it has done just that. We are grateful that the court granted much needed relief for patients, clients, and providers but this fight is far from over. Indiana lawmakers have made it abundantly clear that this harm, this cruelty, is exactly the reality they had in mind when they passed S.B. 1. There are 1.5 million people of reproductive age in the state of Indiana, and every single one of them deserve the right to make their own decisions about their bodies, families, and futures.

Statement from Voices for Life Executive Director Melanie Garcia Lyon:

While the Indiana Constitution clearly upholds the right to life, we are unsurprised by this decision. Indiana has a history of activist judges using the bench to push the pro-abortion agenda. Just three years ago Judge Sarah Evans Barker allowed an abortion business to open in South Bend without a license.

We are confident the ban will be upheld by a higher court. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to ensure as little loss of life as possible due to this tragic decision. as the Program Director for the local Sidewalk Advocates for Life Chapter, I will continue coordinating trained sidewalk advocates at Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, whenever it is open. We will continue offering real support to women seeking abortions including those coming from out of State.

Statement from Erin Murphy, press secretary for Governor Eric J. Holcomb:

Laws, especially ones that carry with them significant change in policy, are frequently challenged in court and SEA 1 is no different. Gov. Holcomb and his team will closely follow this court case as it unfolds.

Attorney General Todd Rokita today issued the following statement:

We plan to appeal and continue to make the case for life in Indiana. Our office remains determined to fight for the lives of the unborn, and this law provides a reasonable way to begin doing that.

Statement from Antonio Marchi, Executive Director of Right to Life Michiana:

We are disappointed, knowing that approximately 23 pre-born lives will be lost every day this injunction remains in effect, and we hope this will be temporary and brief. In her ruling, Judge Hanlon acknowledged the state’s legitimate interest in protecting the lives of pre-born human beings, and we hope this will prevail in the case. The pro-life movement has always been in it for the long haul. We are going to continue reaching out, educating, and advocating for the sake of mothers and their pre-born children as long as it takes.

State Senator Rodney Pol Jr. (D-Chesterton) made the following statement:

I’d like to thank the ACLU for their tireless efforts in bringing this suit forward and Judge Hanlon for taking the common sense step of granting a preliminary injunction. Judge Hanlon rightly notes that SB 1 ended 50 years of precedent and that it is in the public interest to block the new law to allow the court to address the issue on its merits. However, this may only be a temporary outcome, so I will continue to support efforts to restore a woman’s right to choose.

Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:

I’m thankful to the judge for her ruling today and to the ACLU who has been persistent in their fight for reproductive rights, and I know Hoosiers across Indiana are as well,” Sen. Taylor said. “Although this is only a preliminary injunction, it’s a win for every Hoosier woman who is in need of vital care and will, because of today’s ruling, now be able to access it without traveling out of Indiana. Abortion care is healthcare and every extra day that this healthcare is available to women is critical. Because of this injunction, women have control of their bodies, lives and futures for that much longer. My caucus will continue fighting for expanded access to all reproductive care in Indiana until abortion is permanently restored as a right to the women of our state.