The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban this week.
Attorneys for Indiana abortion care providers and the state will appear before the court Thursday, according to the Indiana Courts calendar. There is no indication how long the justices will take to make a ruling in the case.
Indiana Senate Bill 1 permits abortion procedures if a pregnant person’s life is at risk. The law also holds exceptions in some cases of rape, incest and lethal fetal anomalies.
Related: [Abortion ban poses complex questions for IU’s future OB/GYNs]
Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman’s Health sued the state in August, shortly before the ban was set to take effect on Sept. 15. According to the lawsuit, abortion care providers say the ban violates the Indiana Constitution because it results in unlawful discrimination. In September, Monroe County Circuit Court special judge Kelsey Hanlon ruled the law likely violates the Indiana Constitution, temporarily halting the ban.
Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch also issued a preliminary injunction against Indiana Senate Bill 1 in December after a group of plaintiffs alleged the law infringes on religious freedom. In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, a group called Hoosier Jews for Choice and five individual women challenged the abortion ban under Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
