The first ban
On Friday night, Indiana became the first state in the nation to pass a near-total abortion ban following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law, which goes into effect on September 15.
There are some notable exceptions to the ban, allowing women to seek an abortion if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, if a lethal fetal anomaly has been diagnosed, or if the pregnant woman’s life is at “serious risk.”
The bill passed the Indiana House in a 62-38 vote, and later passed the Indiana Senate in a 28-19 vote; no democrats supported the bill, the IndyStar reported.
The new law also specified that abortions can only be performed in hospitals or outpatient centers affiliated with hospitals, meaning abortion clinics will lose their licenses. Furthermore, the law states that physicians will lose their medical licenses if they perform an illegal abortion or do not “file required reports,” as reported by Associated Press. Under the current law, doctors “may” lose their medical license if they perform an abortion; this new law’s language rids any ambiguity.