Indiana Court Stops Law Prohibiting Abortion Of Fetuses With Down Syndrome

A court has laid down a preliminary injunction against the implementation of an Indiana law that bans the abortion of a fetus due to having a disability such as Down syndrome. The court's decision was in response to a petition of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

"The United States Supreme Court has stated in categorical terms that a state may not prohibit any woman from making the ultimate decision to terminate her pregnancy before viability," according to judge Tanya Walton Pratt, as per Christian Today. Pratt added that the law is in conflict with the rights of women to end her pregnancy before its viability.

BREAKING: Judge Blocks Indiana Law Banning Abortions on Babies With Down Syndrome https://t.co/UELMaWNK9S #tcot pic.twitter.com/im5O7aPQBO

— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) June 30, 2016

Law Also Prevents Abortion For Other Causes

Gov. Mike Pence had earlier signed House Bill 1337 or the Dignity for the Unborn Law and it would have taken effect on July 1 had not Pratt decided to stop its implementation a day before. Christian Today said that besides banning abortion due to disabilities such as Down syndrome, the law has also disallowed abortion due to reasons of sex, race, color, national origin or ancestry.

According to a report from Life News, the law also mandated that aborted or miscarried babies should be cremated or buried. The law also required yearly renewal for abortionists who have hospital admitting privileges. The report said Pratt had earlier laid down decisions siding with the abortion lobby.

"Some of my most precious moments as Governor have been with families of children with disabilities, especially those raising children with Down syndrome," the report quoted Pence as saying when he signed the law. Pence had called the law a "comprehensive pro-life measure."

Abortion In Indiana

Since Pratt only gave a preliminary injunction, the state of Indiana can still defend the law and ask the court to have the law banning abortions of fetuses with Down syndrome upheld, reported ABC News. Anti-abortion group Indiana Right to Life has reportedly asked the state to appeal Pratt's decision while the state attorney's general would be reviewing the court's ruling.

Indiana has reportedly six clinics where mother can seek abortion even as abortions have seen a decline from 10,031 in 2010 to 8,118 in 2014. These clinics are located in Indianapolis, Merrillville, Bloomington and Lafayette.

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