SW News: Pro-abortion advocates in the US State of Indiana have filed a lawsuit against the pro-life law in the Midwestern state weeks before it was set to take effect.

According to pro-choice supporters, Senate Bill 1, which bans abortions in most cases, allegedly violates the Indiana Constitution by "stripping away the fundamental rights of people seeking abortion care". Against this backdrop, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, August 30, on behalf of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, and other parties in the state court in Monroe County.

Indiana's ban is scheduled to go into force on September 15 unless the court steps in. However, Todd Rokita, the state’s attorney general, has pledged to uphold the legislation, calling it a life-saving measure. The Attorney General stated, "The Left is notorious for fighting to erase all of the progress and protections secured by the pro-life movement." He added, "We don't need the warped opinions of organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood dictating how we do things in Indiana."

Under the abortion ban law, pregnancy can be terminated only if it is before ten weeks of gestation, if it happened in case of rape or incest, if the mother's health is in peril, or if there are any fetal anomalies. The bill also punishes medical practitioners who provide abortion with imprisonment and loss of license. The new pro-life law replaces the current 22-week abortion ban in the state. In addition, an individual who seeks abortion cannot use phone-in abortion. Instead, they should consult a doctor in person.

Indiana was the first US State to ban abortion in almost all cases, with a few exceptions, following the reversal of Roe v Wade in June. The abortion ban bill was signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb on August 5, six weeks after the Supreme Court repealed the constitutionality of abortion access across America.

Separately, many US states have established pro-life laws defending lives from the time of conception. Tennessee, Idaho, and Texas implemented trigger laws restricting abortions in almost all cases on August 25. In September, the southwestern state of Arizona will enforce anti-abortion trigger laws banning the termination of pregnancy in nearly all cases, with exceptions in some.