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The attorney general’s office urged Indiana’s highest court Thursday to dismiss a religious freedom challenge to the state’s near-total abortion ban, arguing that women who are not pregnant or seeking abortions have brought their case too soon. But Indiana Supreme Court justices questioned whether women should have to wait until they are pregnant and seeking […]

Indiana continues to block Medicaid patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood clinics despite the expiration of a federal ban allowing such coverage nationwide. Attorney General Todd Rokita has revived a 15-year-old law to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, impacting access to preventive and essential health services for low-income Hoosiers amid rising maternal mortality and healthcare shortages in the state.

The Indiana Supreme Court unanimously upheld a decision to keep individual abortion reports confidential, ruling they are protected as medical records. This decision follows a lawsuit by Indianapolis OB-GYNs Dr. Caitlin Bernard and Dr. Caroline Rouse to block the release of these reports after the Indiana Department of Health reversed its policy under Governor Mike Braun.

Indiana's Planned Parenthood affiliate remains barred from receiving state Medicaid funding due to a 2011 law prohibiting state funds to abortion providers, despite the expiration of the federal ban on such payments. The state is seeking federal court approval to enforce this law, with Planned Parenthood agreeing to stay suspended from Indiana's Medicaid program while the case is pending before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Indiana Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the state's near-total abortion ban, upholding lower court rulings that found the law constitutional in a 4-1 decision. The ban, enacted by the Republican-led Legislature in 2022, restricts abortions except in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly, or to protect the mother's life or health, and has led to a 99% drop in abortions performed in Indiana from 2022 to 2025.

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear a Religious Freedom Restoration Act-based lawsuit challenging the state's near-total abortion ban, bypassing the Court of Appeals with oral arguments scheduled for September 10. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Indiana on behalf of Hoosier Jews for Choice and others, argues that the ban imposes a substantial burden on religious practices that permit abortion beyond the law's limited exceptions.

Two Planned Parenthood clinics in Indianapolis will close after federal funding cuts, consolidating services to one location on Georgetown Road with expanded care options. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has appealed to block state funding to Planned Parenthood, citing a 2011 state law that prohibits funding to organizations performing abortions, as the legal battle over Medicaid payments continues in Indiana courts.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has appealed a Marion County judge's ruling that Indiana's near-total abortion ban imposes a substantial burden on religious exercise protected by the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The ruling makes a temporary injunction permanent, allowing certain Hoosiers whose religious beliefs require abortion to access the procedure, and the case will proceed to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Indiana Senate passed Senate Bill 236 to ban abortion-inducing drugs, allowing private individuals to sue manufacturers, distributors, or providers with minimum damages of $100,000 per violation. The bill, which includes exceptions and redefines abortion in state code, now moves to the Indiana House for consideration.

Indiana Senate Bill 236 proposes banning abortion-inducing drugs with provisions allowing private citizens to file civil lawsuits and authorizing the Indiana Attorney General to sue on behalf of fetuses, while also changing reporting requirements for abortion-related filings. The bill, which redefines abortion and adds detailed certification and reporting mandates for terminated pregnancy reports, has raised concerns among Indiana residents and medical professionals about privacy, legal risks, and potential delays in critical medical care.

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a judge's order protecting the confidentiality of terminated pregnancy reports filed by doctors, ruling they are medical records despite lacking patient names. This decision came after Indianapolis OB-GYNs Dr. Caitlin Bernard and Dr. Caroline Rouse sued to block the release of these reports following a settlement between the Indiana Department of Health and the anti-abortion group Voices for Life.

Indiana leaders, including Gov. Mike Braun and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the state's safe haven newborn surrender law, which allows parents to surrender unharmed infants to emergency services without legal consequences. Since its approval in 2000, Indiana has installed more baby boxes than any other state, with 31 infants surrendered since 2017, and officials emphasized continuing education and expanding surrender locations to protect vulnerable newborns and support women in crisis.