Overview
- Marion Superior Court Judge Christina Klineman issued a permanent injunction barring Indiana from enforcing its near‑total abortion ban against people whose sincere religious exercise would be burdened.
- The case, brought by the ACLU under Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, argued that some faiths permit or require abortion in certain circumstances.
- The court found the state failed to show a compelling interest from fertilization under all circumstances, pointing to the law’s rape exception as differential treatment.
- Klineman highlighted statutory inconsistencies, including explicit protections for in vitro fertilization and the legislature’s choice not to define embryos as human beings.
- The judge concluded an outright ban is not the least restrictive means and noted a prior state appellate ruling had already affirmed a preliminary injunction for the plaintiffs.