This fall, Indiana is celebrating one full year of Senate Bill 1, the bill that effectively banned abortion in our state aside from a few exceptions including life/physical health of the mother, rape and incest up to 10 weeks, or in the case of a lethal fetal anomaly up to 20 weeks. The bill also terminated the licensure of abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood, meaning abortions can now only be performed in licensed hospitals. Despite the ACLU’s efforts to block the law through two different lawsuits (on behalf of Planned Parenthood and Hoosier Jews for Choice), the near-total abortion ban officially took effect on August 1, 2023. Prior to the passing of this bill, abortion was legal in Indiana up to 22 weeks.
Indiana was the first state to lead the charge on abortion policy after the 2022 Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Indiana General Assembly promptly reconvened for a special session on July 25, 2022 following the leaked draft of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson case. During the special session, lawmakers discussed two pro-life bills, SB 1 (described above), and SB 2, which would help provide $87 million in funding to support expectant mothers through pregnancy resource centers, Safe Haven Baby Boxes, support for foster/adoptive care, and more. Indiana’s new abortion policy laid the groundwork for other states to consider when drafting their own legislation.
The impact of Senate Bill 1 has been incredible proof that pro-life laws do save lives. In the first quarter of 2023, 1,931 abortions were recorded in the Indiana Department of Health’s Terminated Pregnancy Report. By the fourth quarter of 2023, that number dropped to only 46 abortions.
And by the first quarter of 2024, the number continued to drop to only 45 abortions. On August 29, the Terminated Pregnancy Report for Quarter 2 of 2024 (April–June) was released, revealing the lowest quarterly level in Indiana since pre-Roe (1973) at only 27 abortions. As people dedicated to the pro-life cause, we simultaneously celebrate the victory of this significant decrease in abortions, while still grieving the precious lives lost.
“The numbers represent a 98.6 percent drop in abortions compared to Q2 of last year, when Indiana’s abortion law was still blocked by the courts and 1,938 abortions were reported.” – Mike Ficter, President & CEO of Indiana Right to Life
A significant challenge that Hoosiers have faced in protecting unborn children since the abortion ban was enacted has been the Indiana Department of Health’s blocking of public access to terminated pregnancy reports (TPRs) that reveal details about each abortion performed in the state. Indiana Attorney General, Todd Rokita, has been vocal in declaring that Hoosiers have a right to these documents, because they hold abortion providers accountable to laws regarding abortion. For years, the organization Voices for Life, based in South Bend, used Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, to obtain monthly TPRs from the Indiana Department of Health, which they used to identify and report potential abortionist misconduct and violations of the law.
In July 2023, the IDOH stopped reporting this information to Voices for Life as required by state law, “alleging conflict with privacy laws”. They claimed that because of the drastic decline in abortion numbers, it would be too easy to identify the women who had obtained abortions, violating their confidentiality. In May 2024, Voices for Life announced their lawsuit against the Indiana Department of Health after their denial of access to the TPRs. The organization went to court on September 6th.
“Enforcement is impossible in Indiana if we don’t have this data.” – Melanie Lyon, Voices for Life Executive Director
Read more about the IDOH’s withholding of Terminated Pregnancy Reports.
While there is still much work to be done when it comes to changing hearts and minds on the issue of abortion, we celebrate the great progress our state has made in the last year and the hundreds of lives saved by this pro-life law. May God grant us the strength and courage to continue fighting for moms and babies in Indiana and beyond until abortion is not just illegal, but unthinkable!
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