WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky filed a lawsuit against the Indiana State Department of Health this morning.
The suit is a challenge to the constitutionality of Senate Enrolled Act 340. The law, passed earlier this year, imposing new requirements on abortion providers. It also compels all doctors to report any medical complications that occur during or after an abortion. Health care providers will also face new inspection requirements as a result of the bill.
American Civil Liberties Union-Indiana Chapter’s Legal Director Ken Falk said they’re representing Planned Parenthood of Indiana in the suit.
Senate Enrolled Act 340 increased the information collected by the state on abortion clinics. It also required women seeking an abortion to provide the Indiana State Department of Health information about their menstruation cycle, among other healthcare information. Falk says the information collection requirement set up by the bill puts doctors and patients in a legal limbo.
According to the legal filing by Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky and the ACLU, these new regulations are in violation of the equal protections clause of the 14th amendment.
Failure to comply with the new law after July 1 can lead to licensing complications for healthcare providers and clinics. After January 1, any provider not following the laws would face criminal charges.
In addition to compelling physicians to report any medical complications that arise during the procedure, the new law also requires medical providers to give patient information, such as age and race, as well as a list of medicines taken by the patient, over to the state department of health.
The lawsuit is the sixth-such joint-filing between Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, and the Indiana Chapter of the ACLU against the state. Senate Enrolled Act 340 was sponsored by Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville). It was authored by Senate Republicans Travis Holdman, Michael Young, and Liz Brown.
