Abortion rights groups sue Indiana over law regarding 'abortion reversal' drug

Kaitlin Lange, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read

Abortion rights groups are suing Indiana over a new law that will require health-care providers to share information about an "abortion reversal" drug, something that opponents of the law said is not based on science.

All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center and a coalition of other health-care providers filed a lawsuit Tuesday over House Bill 1577, signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb last month. It goes into effect July 1.

Under the new act, abortion clinics have to provide information in writing about progesterone, a drug some anti-abortion groups say can reverse medically induced abortions, as long as a mother has only taken one of the two required abortion pills.

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But the science behind the claims is shaky, opponents say. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, claims that an abortion can be reversed are not based on science and do not meet clinical standards.

"Every day we help Hoosiers overcome barriers to find the abortion care they need,” said Parker Dockray, executive director of All-Options, in a statement. “Indiana needs more access and compassion, not more restrictions. HB 1577 is a step in the wrong direction and we're proud to be challenging it along with our partners."

The lawsuit also challenges the bill's ban on abortion via telemedicine.

The lawsuit is far from unexpected.

A fiscal analysis of the bill conducted by the state prior to its passage alluded to that possibility as an outcome.

Rep. Peggy Mayfield, right, listens as the Indiana House meets, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in its temporary chamber at the Government Center South in Indianapolis.
Rep. Peggy Mayfield, right, listens as the Indiana House meets, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in its temporary chamber at the Government Center South in Indianapolis.

It's also far from the first state abortion law to be challenged in court. In 2013 and 2015, Indiana paid the legal costs for abortion cases in the amount of $170,342 and $122,945, respectively, according to that same analysis.

There have been more recent Indiana abortion cases in the court system, as well. In March, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 2017 law requiring courts to notify parents if their child sought an abortion through the court system was unconstitutional.

In December, three women and an Indianapolis abortion clinic brought a separate federal lawsuit against the state for a 2016 law signed by former Gov. Mike Pence that dictated how fetal tissue must be disposed of.

Bill passed with wide support

The bill passed 63-25 in the House and a 36-14 in the Senate. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.

"I think the priority is on saving the babies and not whether or not someone wants to take us to court," said the bill's author, Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, in committee, "because we win some, and we lose some."

The Whole Woman's Health Alliance, Planned Parenthood, Women's Med Group Professional Corporation and individual physicians are also named as plaintiffs on the lawsuit.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Abortion rights groups sue Indiana for law on 'abortion reversal' drug