INDIANAPOLIS -- Another Indiana law is being challenged by local groups in a federal lawsuit.
The law in question, which went into effect on July 1, states that before a woman gets an abortion, an ultrasound must be obtained 18 hours in advance of the procedure and at the same time the woman gets mandatory information.
It's being challenged in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Indiana, national ACLU and national Planned Parenthood on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.
According to the ACLU, the new law will "force many women to make two potentially lengthy and burdensome trips to specific PPINK health centers that provide surgical or medication abortion instead of going to a clinic in their community."
Indiana Right to Life released the following statement after learning of the ACLU lawsuit:
"Once again Planned Parenthood is showing that it is more concerned about its revenue than women's health. This new suit seeks to block women in Indiana from having the opportunity to view an ultrasound of their babies at least 18 hours in advance of an abortion so these women have ample opportunity to be informed about the new life inside of them before making abortion decisions. Planned Parenthood doesn't want to cut into their revenue, nor do they want women to have time to reconsider abortion.
Last week, a federal judge blocked a controversial abortion bill that would've made it illegal for a woman to seek an abortion on the basis of the race, gender or disability of a fetus. The law also stipulated new restrictions on the disposal of fetal tissue.
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“Last week, the Supreme Court made perfectly clear that restrictions that serve no purpose except to put obstacles in the path of a women trying to end a pregnancy cannot stand,” said Jennifer Dalven, director of the Reproductive Freedom Project with the ACLU. “Make no mistake about it, this Indiana law is just another example of an unnecessary restriction that is blatantly unconstitutional.”
