On March 25, Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act No. 340, which amended a previous law that stated, “The state department may inspect an abortion clinic at least one (1) time per calendar year” and replaced the word “may” with the word “shall.”
In addition, the law requires medical providers who treat women for complications arising from abortions to report detailed patient information to the state.
Less than a month later, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed suit against the state, claiming the law “imposes unique and burdensome obligations” that are unconstitutional. The plaintiffs argue that the law is unconstitutional because it targets abortions and abortion providers and not other procedures or clinics.
Jane Henegar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, snapped, “Once again Indiana politicians are barging into the exam room with irrational demands and intrusive requirements.” The lawsuit claims many of the abortion complications listed by the law “are both extremely rare for abortions and are more likely to occur after other medical procedures.”
Here are the complications listed by the law:
1) Uterine perforation
(2) Cervical perforation
(3) Infection
(4) Hemorrhaging
(5) Blood clots
(6) Failure to terminate the pregnancy
(7) Incomplete abortion (retained tissue)
(8) Pelvic inflammatory disease
(9) Missed ectopic pregnancy
(10) Cardiac arrest
(11) Respiratory arrest.
(12) Renal failure
(13) Metabolic disorder
(14) Shock
(15) Embolism
(16) Coma
(17) Placenta previa in subsequent pregnancies
(18) Pre-term delivery in subsequent pregnancies
(19) Free fluid in the abdomen
(20) Hemolytic reaction due to the administration of ABO-incompatible blood or blood products
(21) Hypoglycemia occurring while the patient is being treated at the abortion facility
(22) Physical injury associated with treatment performed at the abortion facility
(23) Adverse reaction to anesthesia or other drugs
(24) Psychological or emotional complications, including depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and sleeping disorders
(25) Death.
Christie Gillespie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, echoed that the new law “is not about patient safety” while asserting abortion care “is already incredibly safe.”
Mike Fichter, the president and CEO of Indiana Right to Life, said the lawsuit is “sadly predictable” and said the reporting provision of the law “brings needed transparency to the abortion industry.” He added, “Almost every time Indiana lawmakers pass legislation to protect women’s health and safety, the abortion giant runs to activist judges to block the laws.”