WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The U.S. Court of Appeals is considering Attorney General Curtis Hill’s request for a stay on the operations of a South Bend women’s health clinic.
Hill’s request for a stay was denied by a federal district court on June 7. The Attorney General’s office claims the clinic, Whole Woman’s Health, is missing a required licence from the Indiana State Department of Health. Hill cites safety concerns for patients as his reason for requesting the stay, according to a press release.
The Whole Woman’s Health clinic said this is an instance of prohibitive legislation, meant to withhold women’s access to abortions, according to their website.
South Bend Mayor and Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg called Hill’s actions “politically motivated,” in comments made to local news.
The legal battle over the clinic began in January 2018, when Whole Woman’s Health was denied the required license. Whole Woman’s Health founder and CEO Amy Hagstrom Miller told local news this was the first instance of a license denial in the organization’s 16-year history.
The clinic filed a lawsuit against the State of Indiana in a federal district court. On May 31, the court ruled that the clinic could open without the license. Attorney General Hill appealed this decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals on June 2. The court will hear this appeal on July 11.
Hill also filed a motion for a stay on the opening of the clinic until this appeal could be considered. This motion was denied on June 7. The clinic will see its first patients this week.
