Today, the ACLU of Indiana, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, All-Options, Inc., and Dr. Amy Caldwell filed an appeal of a circuit court ruling that last month denied a request to expand and clarify the limited and ambiguous health and life exception to Indiana’s criminal abortion ban. The case will now move to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Plaintiffs are represented by lawyers from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Lawyering Project, the ACLU of Indiana, and WilmerHale.
Joint statement from ACLU of Indiana, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, and All-Options:
“As this lawsuit proceeds, Hoosiers’ lives hang in the balance under Indiana’s near-total abortion ban. This extreme restriction is putting pregnant people’s health at serious risk, leading to preventable tragedies and even death. Hoosiers deserve better, and the Indiana Constitution demands better. We are resolute in our commitment to providing the highest quality services to our patients and clients and fighting for a future without political interference in personal health care decisions.”
The legal challenge was brought by Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, All-Options, Inc., and Dr. Amy Caldwell and followed a 2023 Indiana Supreme Court ruling affirming that the Indiana Constitution protects the right to an abortion necessary to protect a patient from serious health risks.
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK) is a leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. The organization operates 35 health centers in Alaska, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, and Western Washington and provides medical services and sexuality education for thousands of people each year. PPGNHAIK is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and relies heavily on charitable donations to ensure our patients' ability to determine their own destinies and receive the health care they need.
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With nearly 600 health centers nationwide, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect, and without judgment, striving to create equitable access to health care. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable education and information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the independently incorporated Planned Parenthood affiliates operating health centers across the U.S.
The ACLU of Indiana is the state’s guardian of liberty, working daily to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitutions and laws of the United States and Indiana. Using education, advocacy, and litigation, we work to protect the rights of all and to extend rights to communities that have historically experienced injustice in the U.S., including Native Americans and other people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, prisoners, people with disabilities, and the indigent. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan, and we never charge for our services. Member dues and contributions and grants from private foundations and individuals pay for the work we do.
All-Options is dedicated to supporting people in all their decisions, feelings, and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption. We use direct service and social change strategies to ensure that every person can make the reproductive choices that are right for them, with compassion and dignity. We provide free diapers, period products, abortion funding and referrals, and judgment-free support to hundreds of Hoosiers every year.
The Lawyering Project uses the law to improve abortion access and uphold the rights and dignity of people seeking and providing abortion care. Our goal is a legal system that enables each of us to make decisions about intensely personal matters like sex, pregnancy, family, and health care based on our own beliefs and values—and ensures that we all have the resources we need to carry those decisions out.
