A headline from the Indiana Capital Chronicle raises questions about its suitability for publication. The headline, “Quarterly abortions sink to 2019 levels, report says,” raises questions about the journalistic standards employed in its construction.
The term “sink” is somewhat pejorative and may be perceived as an unwarranted and unduly negative choice of words. The choice of words is not entirely impartial. The article by Leslie Bonilla Muniz is of a higher quality.
Indiana abortion clinics and hospitals performed fewer than 2,000 abortions from April through June — the lowest since 2019 — according to a new quarterly report.
Although Indiana’s near-total abortion ban officially went into effect in August, for nearly a year beforehand a legal fight kept enforcement on hold. During that time, the state’s previous abortion law stood — allowing the procedures up to 20 weeks post-fertilization.
From April through June, providers recorded 1,937 abortions, the lowest since 2019’s 1,935, according to the Indiana Department of Health’s second-quarter Terminated Pregnancy Report.
In contrast, second-quarter abortions topped 2,000 during the three years in between: 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Furthermore, Senate Bill SEA1 revoked the license for all six abortion clinics, which previously accounted for the majority of abortions performed in Indiana. As reported by Brittany Carloni of the Indianapolis Star, the law that was passed last year limits abortions to be performed in hospitals. “The majority of the 9,500+ abortions that occurred in Indiana were performed in outpatient clinics, with fewer than 200 occurring in hospitals, according to the state’s annual report on terminated pregnancies.”
“Six clinics accounted for 97% of the abortions performed in Indiana from April through June, according to the second-quarter report,” Bonilla Muniz added.
Signed by Governor Eric Holcomb in August 2022, SEA 1 permits abortions in instances of rape or incest, when there is a significant risk to the life of the mother, or when fatal fetal anomalies are present.
In August, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld SEA 1, despite the ACLU of Indiana’s last-minute attempts to stall the proceedings.
“My office has consistently upheld the pro-life law of Indiana, as promised,” stated Attorney General Todd Rokita at the time. The Indiana Supreme Court has today certified its opinion rejecting a constitutional challenge to Indiana’s pro-life law, which protects the lives of innocent, unborn babies. This is welcome news for those who value life and liberty in the state of Indiana. We have prevailed against those who advocate for the termination of life, whose views were rejected by the state in a clear vote for the protection of life.
Indiana Supreme Court upholds law 4-1
In July, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the law does not contravene the state Constitution. In his written opinion, Justice Derek R. Molter stated that the state constitution “protects a woman’s right to an abortion that is necessary to protect her life or to protect her from a serious health risk.” However, he also noted that the General Assembly “retains broad legislative discretion for determining whether and the extent to which to prohibit abortions.”
The Chicago Sun Times reports that the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana subsequently petitioned the state’s highest court to maintain the near-total abortion ban in abeyance until a narrow preliminary injunction could be obtained in a lower court to define the scope of the exemption allowing women facing serious health risks to obtain abortions.
However, in an opinion, Chief Justice Loretta Rush stated that the parties requesting a rehearing in the case had not adequately addressed concerns about the impact of the abortion law on Hoosier women seeking medical care for serious health conditions or on healthcare providers. This information was reported by Brittany Carloni of the Indianapolis Star.
Carloni proceeded to elucidate that the aforementioned legislation, which was enacted last year, restricts abortions to be performed in hospitals. The majority of abortions in Indiana, which occurred in over 9,500 instances, were conducted in outpatient clinics. According to the state’s annual terminated pregnancy report, fewer than 200 of these procedures were performed in hospitals.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
