SW News: The Supreme Court in the American state of Indiana has refused to rehear a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana thereby enabling an almost-total abortion ban to come into effect.

Indiana’s prohibition on abortion will come into effect once a June 30 verdict upholding the ban gets certified, said court spokesperson Kathryn Dolan, adding that the procedural step is slated to take a few days. On June 30, the highest court gave a verdict saying that the ban on the termination of pregnancy does not violate the state constitution.

The ban was approved by Republican lawmakers of the state last summer ahead of a series of curbs introduced by several states after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court. On Monday, the state supreme court said in its 4-1 decision that Planned Parenthood and other health care providers “cannot show a reasonable likelihood of success” by challenging the curbs imposed on abortion.

According to Attorney General Todd Rokita, “This is great news for Hoosier life and liberty. We defeated the pro-death advocates who try to interject their views in a state that clearly voted for life.”

Indiana is the first American state to come out with very strict abortion curbs after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade after half a century. The curbs seek to end most abortions even in the earliest stage of gestation. Six abortion facilities in the state decided to stop the procedures last month ahead of the prohibition coming into effect.

On the other hand, American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana Executive Director Jane Henegar said Monday was a “dark day in Indiana’s history”. “We have seen the horrifying impact of bans like this across the country, and the narrow exceptions included in this extreme ban will undoubtedly put Hoosiers’ lives at risk. ... Every person should have the fundamental freedom to control their own body and politicians’ personal opinions should play no part in this personal decision,” she said in a statement.