INDIANAPOLIS – Seventeen women had abortions in Indiana since the state ban officially went into effect Aug. 21 – with the majority falling under an exception for a lethal fetal anomaly.
The Indiana Department of Health posted the third quarter terminated pregnancy report Friday, finding 764 abortions occurred between July 1 and September 30.
Only 17 of those happened since Aug. 21, when the Indiana Supreme Court decision upholding the new law was certified. Previously abortion clinics stopped providing the procedure on Aug. 1.
In the summer of 2022, lawmakers passed a near-total ban following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It outlaws all abortions except in the case of a fatal fetal anomaly and cases of serious health risk to the mother. Rape survivors can get an abortion up to 10 weeks post-fertilization.
Abortions can now only be done in hospitals.
Nine of the 17 abortions since Aug. 21 cited a lethal fetal anomaly; seven were due to a serious health risk or life of the woman and one was due to rape or incest.
To use an exemption, the physician must certify in writing to the hospital that in the doctor’s medical judgment, performing the abortion is necessary. Exemptions include preventing any serious health risk to the pregnant woman, saving the pregnant woman’s life, or a lethal fetal anomaly in the fetus.
The 764 abortions over the three months compares to 2,967 over the same time the year before. The majority of the abortions – around 72% – were nonsurgical, using prescription medications.
There were 698 abortions in July when it was still legal, and then 52 in August and 14 in September.
About 97% of the abortions were fetuses up to 14 weeks of gestational age.
There were 18 at the Riley Health Maternity Tower; 11 at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital; and 15 at Indiana University Health University Hospital. All of those are in Indianapolis.
One abortion was performed at Schneck Medical Center in Jackson County.