Planned Parenthood fights Indiana abortion waiting period

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana law that requires women to wait 18 hours to have an abortion after having an ultrasound is an undue burden, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky told a federal court.

Planned Parenthood is seeking an injunction that would block Indiana from enforcing the rule, the Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/2fGbTHx ) reported. The waiting period was included in a measure passed in March and was added to an existing requirement that women have an ultrasound before an abortion.

The state's solicitor general, Thomas Fisher, argued Wednesday the waiting period doesn't create an additional burden on women seeking abortions and is unconstitutional.

But American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana's legal director Ken Falk said the rule requires multiple trips to a clinic and some women must travel more than 400 miles because of the limited number of abortion providers in the state.

"This creates a substantial obstacle that disproportionately affects low-income women," said Falk.

He also argued that Planned Parenthood lacks the resources to comply with the rule.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt could rule on the injunction as early as next week. In July, she temporarily blocked a state law that would ban abortions sought due to fetal genetic abnormalities, including Down syndrome.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com