U.S. Abortion Laws by State

Illegal

Indiana

Indiana enacted a new total ban on abortion, which took effect on August 1, 2023, after the state supreme court vacated the injunction blocking the law.

State Legal Details

Bans in Effect

  • Gestational Ban, 22-week LMP
  • Gestational Ban, Total Ban
  • Method Ban
  • Telemedicine Ban

Bans Enjoined

  • Method Ban
  • Reason Ban

Restrictions in Effect

  • Biased Counseling Requirement
  • Mandatory Ultrasound Requirement
  • Parental Involvement, Parental Consent Requirement
  • TRAP Requirements: Facilities, Facility Requirements
  • TRAP requirements: Providers, Admitting Privilege Requirement
  • TRAP requirements: Providers, Reporting Requirement
  • Waiting Period Requirement

Restrictions

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,1 Indiana enacted a new law prohibiting abortion with very limited exceptions.2 While originally enjoined3, the Indiana Supreme Court vacated the injunction on June 30, 2023.4 In another case, the total ban is being challenged by Indianans who “have sincere religious beliefs that direct them to obtain an abortion under circumstances prohibited” by the ban and believe it violated the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.5 The trial court issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the state from enforcing the abortion law against the plaintiffs in the case,6 and certifying the case as a class action including “[a]ll persons in Indiana whose religious beliefs direct them to obtain abortions”.7 The state Supreme Court has allowed the injunction and the class action to stand while the case goes through trial.8

 

Indiana has not repealed other laws related to abortion. Indiana law continues to prohibit abortion at “the earlier of viability . . . or twenty weeks post-fertilization”9 but with additional requirements that the abortion is necessary to “prevent a substantial permanent impairment of the life or physical health of the pregnant woman; or the fetus is diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly.”10 State law prohibits D&X11 and D&E procedures although the D&E ban is preliminarily enjoined,12 and abortions sought for reasons of sex, disability, race, color, national origin, or ancestry of the fetus, though the reason bans are also enjoined.13 Indiana law continues to include requirements that pregnant people must undergo an ultrasound and 18-hour mandatory waiting period14; biased counseling15; and prohibitions on public funding, and private insurance coverage.16 Indiana continues to require that a parent, legal guardian,17 or judge18 consent to a minor’s abortion.19

Indiana retains targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) laws relating to facilities,20 admitting privileges,21 and reporting.22 Indiana law continues to restrict the provision of abortion care to licensed physicians23and still restricts providers from using telemedicine for the provision of abortion care.24 Providers who violate Indiana’s abortion restrictions may face civil and criminal penalties.25

State Protections

Indiana law does not include express statutory protections for abortion. In June 2023, the Indiana Supreme Court held that the constitution protects abortion in situations when there is risk to a pregnant person’s life or a “serious health risk.”26

Post-Roe Prohibitions

In 2022, Indiana enacted a total ban on abortion.2 The state expressly repealed two pre-Roe bans in 1977.28

Conclusion

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe, Indiana has enacted a new total ban on abortion, which took effect on June 30, 2023, after the state supreme court vacated the injunction blocking the law.

  1. Dobbs v. Jackson Womenu2019s Health Org., 597 U.S (June 24, 2022), revu2019d Dobbs v. Jackson Womenu2019s Health Org., 945 F.3d 265, 274 (5th Cir. 2019). ↩︎
  2. S.B. 1, 122nd Leg., 1st Spec. Sess. (Ind. 2022). ↩︎
  3. Planned Parenthood N.W. Haw., Alaska, Ind., Ky. v. Members of the Med. Licensing Bd. of Ind., No. 53C06-2208-PL-001756 (Monroe Cnty. Cir. Ct., Sep. 22, 2022). ↩︎
  4. Members of the Med. Licensing Bd. of Ind. v. Planned Parenthood N.W. Haw., Alaska, Ind., Ky., No. 22S-PL-338 (Ind. Sup. Ct., Jun, 30, 2023). ↩︎
  5. Anonymous Plaintiffs 1-5 v. Individual Members of the Medical Licensing Board, et al., 49D01-2209-PL-031056, 22A-PL-02938 (Marion Cnty. Sup. Ct, filed Sep. 8, 2022). ↩︎
  6. Anonymous Plaintiff 1, et al. v. Individual Members of the Medical Licensing Board, et al. 49D01-2209-PL-031056 (Marion Cnty. Sup. Ct. Dec. 2, 2022). ↩︎
  7. Anonymous Plaintiff 1, et al. v. Individual Members of the Medical Licensing Board, et al. 49D01-2209-PL-031056 (Marion Cnty. Sup. Ct. Jun. 6, 2023). ↩︎
  8. Individual Members of the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana, et al. v. Anonymous Plaintiff 1, et al., 22A-PL-2938 (Ind. Dec. 10, 2024). ↩︎
  9. IND. CODE ANN. u00a7 16-34-2-1(a)(2). ↩︎
  10. Id. ↩︎
  11. Id. u00a7 16-34-2-1(b). ↩︎
  12. Id. u00a7 16-18-2-96.4; see Bernard v. Individual Members of Indiana Med. Licensing Bd., 392 F. Supp. 3d 935 (S.D. Ind. 2019). ↩︎
  13. IND. CODE ANN. u00a7u00a7 16-34-2-1.1(a)(1)(K), 16-34-4-4, 16-34-4-5, 16-34-4-6, 16-34-4-7, 16-34-4-8; see Box v. Planned Parenthood of Ind. & Ky., Inc., 139 S. Ct. 1780, 1782 (2019). ↩︎
  14. Id. u00a7 16-34-2-1.1; see Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky, Inc., 141 S. Ct. 184, 207 L. Ed. 2d 1112 (2020) (injunction on the requirement for a waiting period after ultrasound was vacated and reversed). ↩︎
  15. Ind. Code Ann. u00a7 16-34-2-1(a)(1)(C). ↩︎
  16. 405 IND. ADMIN. CODE 5-28-7; IND. CODE ANN. u00a7u00a7 16-34-1-8; 27-8-13.4-2; 27-13-7-7.5. ↩︎
  17. IND. CODE ANN. u00a7 16-34-2-4 (a); u00a7 16-18-2-267. ↩︎
  18. Id. u00a7 16-34-2-4(d). See Planned Parenthood of Indiana & Kentucky, Inc. v. Box, 991 F.3d 740, 752 (7th Cir. 2021), petition for cert. filed, (U.S. Marc. 29, 2021) (No. 20-1375). ↩︎
  19. Ind. Code Ann. u00a7 16-34-2-4(a). ↩︎
  20. Id. u00a7 16-21-2-10; id. u00a7 16-18-2-1.5; id. u00a7 16-34-5; S.B. 1, 122nd Leg., 1st Spec. Sess. (Ind. 2022). ↩︎
  21. IND. CODE ANN. u00a7 16-34-2-4.5. ↩︎
  22. Id. u00a7 16-34-2-5; id. u00a7 16-34-2-1.1(d). ↩︎
  23. Id. u00a7 16-34-2-4.5; id. u00a7 16-34-2-1; see Whole Women’s Health Alliance v. Rokita, 13 F.4th 595 (7th Cir. 2021) (staying the lower court’s injunction that enjoined the physicians only requirement and telemedicine ban and allowing both restrictions to remain in effect). ↩︎
  24. IND. CODE ANN. u00a7 16-34-2-1(a)(1); id. u00a7 16-34-2-1(d). ↩︎
  25. See, e.g., id. u00a7 16-21-3-1(6); id.u00a7 16-34-2-1. S.B. 1, 122nd Leg., 1st Spec. Sess. (Ind. 2022). ↩︎
  26. Members of the Med. Licensing Bd. of Ind. v. Planned Parenthood N.W. Haw., Alaska, Ind., Ky., No. 22S-PL-338 (Ind. Sup. Ct., Jun, 30, 2023). ↩︎
  27. S.B. 1, 122nd Leg., 1st Spec. Sess. (Ind. 2022). ↩︎
  28. Id. u00a7u00a7 35-1-58-1, 35-1-58-2 repealed by 1977 Ind. Acts 1524; see also Clinic for Women, Inc. v. Brizzi, 837 N.E.2d 973, 989 n.2 (Ind. 2005) (Dickson, J., concurring) (providing history of Indiana’s abortion laws). ↩︎