Indiana court hearing set after abortion ban takes effect

Michael Conroy/AP

FILE - Anti-abortion supporters rally as the Indiana Senate Rules Committee met to consider a Republican proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state during a hearing at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, July 26, 2022. The debate over a limited set of circumstances in which abortion could be legal is causing divisions among GOP lawmakers in some states. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

By: Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana judge won’t hear arguments until next week on a lawsuit seeking to block the state’s abortion ban, leaving that new law set to take effect on Thursday.

The special judge overseeing the case issued an order Monday setting a court hearing for Sept. 19, which is four days after the ban’s effective date.

Indiana abortion clinic operators argue in the lawsuit that the ban approved by the Republican-dominated Legislature “strips away the fundamental rights of people seeking abortion care” in violation of the Indiana Constitution.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana asked the judge Monday to block the law before Thursday, arguing it will “have a devastating and irreparable impact” on the clinics and their patients.