PPINK and ACLU pleased by court ruling against Indiana ultrasound law
Contact:
Ali Slocum
317.637.4324
[email protected]
For Immediate Release: July 26, 2018 (Updated: July 26, 2018, 3:11 p.m.)
INDIANAPOLIS – Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana are pleased by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit’s decision regarding the ultrasound provisions of House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1337.
“The court affirmed the lower court’s ruling that requiring an ultrasound to take place 18 hours before an abortion poses an undue burden on patients in Indiana,” said Christie Gillespie, President and CEO of PPINK. “HEA 1337 would require Hoosiers to make two trips to their provider—a time-consuming and expensive process. We are glad the court saw that there is no medical or legal justification for these rules, which would be especially burdensome for rural residents and people with low incomes.”
“This ruling is a victory for women,” said Ken Falk, ACLU of Indiana Legal Director. “This is another repudiation of the unnecessary and unconstitutional attempts by Indiana politicians to interfere with women’s reproductive rights.”
PPINK, with the assistance of the ACLU of Indiana, filed a lawsuit against the ultrasound provisions of HEA 1337 on July 7, 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt entered a preliminary injunction against the provisions on March 31, 2017. The state of Indiana appealed on April 27, 2017.