BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Special Judge Kelsey Hanlon has issued a preliminary injunction temporarily stopping a near-total abortion ban that was passed by Indiana lawmakers on August 5 and went into effect on September 15.
Judge Hanlon, a Republican and Owen County Circuit Court judge, ruled that the law, known as S.B. 1, “materially burdens the bodily autonomy of Indiana’s women and girls by significantly and arbitrarily limiting their access to care.”
The injunction was sought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana, saying in a court filing that the law would “prohibit the overwhelming majority of abortions in Indiana and, as such, will have a devastating and irreparable impact on the plaintiffs and, more importantly, their patients and clients.”
The ruling will likely be appealed by the state. If that happens, the near-total ban would once again go into effect while the appeals process makes its way through the courts.
Judge Hanlon accepted the appointment of special judge after Democratic judges in Monroe County recused themselves.