A sweeping abortion ban with narrow exceptions has come into place in Indiana, making it one of the latest US states to essentially outlaw the procedure.

The legislation – which was passed by Indiana lawmakers during a special legislative session at the beginning of August – limits access to abortion unless there is serious risk to the health or life of the pregnant person, in the case of a lethal foetal anomaly up to 20 weeks. 

There is also an exception for pregnancies that are the product of rape and incest, but only up to 10 weeks.

As a state that has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in the US – and had previously become a safe haven for those seeking abortions from neighbouring states – pro-choice activists are concerned about the risk this new law represents.

As such, the ban is already being challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several abortion care providers, with hearings set to start on 19 September.  

Indiana is not the only state to put this kind of ban into place following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade at the end of June. 13 states now have a near-total or total ban on abortions, and a further four states have gestational limits in place.

A near-total ban on abortions is also set to come into effect in West Virginia after the state’s legislature passed a bill that will prohibit abortions except to save a pregnant person’s life or in cases of rape and incest. 

And while proposed bans are currently blocked in eight states including Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina, anti-abortion activists are working to get these blocks removed.  

While the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade has allowed many states to roll back abortion rights for women across the US, some states have used the opportunity to strengthen these rights and take a stance against those trying to limit access to reproductive healthcare.

For example, in states including Alaska, California and Connecticut, state law protects abortion – with a law expanding which clinicians can provide abortions coming into place in the latter from 1 July. 

Two weeks after the end of Roe v Wade, Joe Biden signed an executive order designed to safeguard access to reproductive healthcare services.

The order, which came at a time when numerous states had already banned or heavily restricted abortion, directed the US’ Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to take or consider a number of actions related to reproductive health. Those included protecting access to abortion and contraception, and gathering a team of volunteer lawyers to represent those affected by the bans being put in place.  

Announcing the order, Biden said the Supreme Court’s ruling was “extreme” and “totally wrong-headed,” describing the decision as “an exercise in raw political power” as opposed to constitutional judgement.

“Marriage equality, contraception, and so much more is at risk,” he said. “This decision affects everyone – unrelated to choice – beyond choice. We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in conjunction with the extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy.

“The choice we face as a nation is between the mainstream and the extreme, between moving forward and moving backwards, between allowing politicians to enter the most personal parts of our lives and protecting the right to privacy embedded in our Constitution.” 

Images: Getty