INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge is facing a deadline for deciding whether to block a new Indiana law banning abortions sought because of fetal genetic abnormalities.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has said she will issue a ruling before Friday, when the law adopted this year by the GOP-dominated Legislature is set to take effect.
Indiana and North Dakota are the only states with laws banning abortions that are sought due to fetal genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, or because of the race, gender or ancestry of a fetus. The Indiana law also requires aborted fetuses be buried or cremated.
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued the state in April, saying the law is unconstitutional and violates women’s privacy rights. Pratt heard arguments June 14.
