INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) An anti-abortion group is urging Indiana’s attorney general to appeal a federal ruling that blocks a state mandate which forced women to undergo an ultrasound at least 18 hours before having an abortion.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt wrote in Friday’s ruling that Indiana’s mandate “creates significant financial and other burdens” on the group and its patients, particularly low-income women.
Indiana Right to Life President Mike Fichter says he wants Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to appeal the case to a higher court and continue the fight “to put a time requirement on our state’s ultrasound law.”
Fichter on Monday called U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt’s ruling “sadly predictable.” He says she has “consistently issued rulings that favor the abortion industry.”
The president of Planned Parenthood, Betty Cockrum, calls Friday’s decision “an incredibly strong ruling” that protects Indiana women’s constitutional right to an abortion.
She said at a news conference Monday the ultrasound mandate forced women to make two separate trips to Planned Parenthood centers because they had to get an ultrasound at least 18 hours before they could have an abortion.
Cockrum says Indiana’s mandate created scheduling and travel burdens that threatened some women’s ability to legally obtain a medical or surgical abortion.
American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana legal director Ken Falk says Indiana has 30 days to appeal the ruling.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Photo: Pexel)
