Indiana is slated to prohibit practically all abortions starting Aug. 1, with very limited exceptions.
That’s because its state Supreme Court upheld the anti-abortion law in a June 30 ruling. The ban, which the Indiana Legislature passed in August 2022, had been in legal limbo for nearly a year.
Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Lafayette and Merrillville already are booked out for appointments to provide abortions between now and when the law takes effect, said Tamarra Wieder of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.
She said all their available appointments for July filled up within a week of the state Supreme Court ruling. And they face a legal cutoff date on Aug. 1.
“As much as we wanted to continue providing this care, you know, we couldn’t work our doctors 24/7 up until that line,” she said. “It just wasn’t feasible.”
Wieder said Planned Parenthood’s Indiana locations are still able to help patients make plans to get an abortion at a clinic in another state. Their staff also can still provide pre-abortion services, such as the counseling many states require patients to receive before they can get an abortion.
People who oversee abortion funds recently said it has gotten harder to get an abortion in Indiana since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling last year and paved the way for states to eliminate abortion access.
Clinics have been overwhelmed with patients — not just from Indiana but from states like Kentucky, where near-total abortion bans are already in place.
“That’s the new reality, unfortunately. There is so much demand for abortion care in a region like ours,” Wieder said. “People from all across the country are desperately seeking services. … Unfortunately now we have to navigate our patients across state lines.”
