Via Yahoo: The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky are suing the state of Indiana, saying an abortion restriction recently signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is unconstitutional.
The restriction bans abortions sought because of genetic abnormalities and mandates an aborted fetus be buried or cremated. It is set to go into effect July 1. The lawsuit was filed Thursday. The restriction makes Indiana’s abortion law among the most stringent in the nation. North Dakota is the only other state with a similar law.
The president of Indiana Right to Life says Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky filed a federal lawsuit against the state’s new abortion law because it wants to protect its business. Mike Fichter said in a statement that Planned Parenthood has $2 million a year in abortion revenue in Indiana and opposes “any common sense law that protects women and children” because it wants to protect its “lucrative abortion business.”
Fichter says the new law protects fetuses targeted for abortion because of gender, race or a potential disability and calls for respectful disposal of aborted remains.
Betty Cockrum
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky says Indiana’s new abortion law shows that the state does not respect women nor trust they can make their own medical decisions. Betty Cockrum is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. She spoke at a news conference Thursday just hours after the organization filed a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union against the state.
Cockrum also responded to criticism from anti-abortion group Indiana Right to Life, saying she has not seen the organization step up and help families who need care after a pregnancy.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s office says it has confidence that the state’s new abortion law is constitutional despite a court challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.
Pence’s deputy press secretary, Stephanie Hodgin, said Thursday in an emailed statement that Pence will work with the Office of the Attorney General to defend the law. The state Attorney General’s office issued a statement saying that any law passed by the Legislature and the governor is presumed constitutional until a court decides otherwise.
DCG
