Indiana Clinics Halt Abortion Services, File Last-Ditch Appeal To State Ban

NPR: Indiana's Abortion Ban Has Been Halted By Another Lawsuit
A near total ban on abortion in Indiana to go into effect Tuesday is on hold again after abortion providers filed another lawsuit in a last-ditch effort to halt it. (Smith, 8/2)

AP: Indiana Abortion Clinics Stop Providing Abortions Ahead Of Near-Total Abortion Ban Taking Effect 
Indiana’s six abortion clinics have stopped providing abortions ahead of the state’s near-total abortion ban officially taking effect and as a petition is pending before the state’s high court asking it to keep the ban on hold while legal action continues, clinic officials said Tuesday. Planned Parenthood’s four Indiana abortion clinics stopped performing abortions Monday in accordance with state guidance that providers received in July alerting them that on or around Tuesday abortion would become illegal in Indiana in clinic settings “with really very, very limited exceptions,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of the Planned Parenthood division that includes Indiana. (Callahan, 8/1)

Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana Planned Parenthood Clinics Stop Providing Abortions, Although Ban Stays Paused
Despite hesitancy among health care providers — and confusion over whether Indiana’s near-total abortion ban would go back into effect Tuesday — the law will not be enforceable until the state Supreme Court certifies its June ruling. Indiana Supreme Court justices tossed out a wide-ranging preliminary injunction in late June when they largely upheld the state’s abortion ban on constitutional liberty grounds. But until the high court certifies its decision, an injunction remains in place — blocking the new law from taking effect. (Smith, 8/1)

More abortion news —

AP: Idaho Health Care Providers Can Refer Patients For Abortions Out Of State, Federal Judge Rules
A federal judge has ruled that it would violate Idaho medical providers’ free speech rights to sanction them for referring patients to out-of-state abortion services, rejecting the state attorney general’s interpretation of Idaho’s abortion ban. Idaho’s law makes it illegal to perform or attempt to perform an abortion, a crime punishable by two to five years in prison. It also makes it unlawful for health care professionals to assist in the provision or attempted provision of one, with the penalty being the suspension or loss of their medical license. (Johnson and Komenda, 8/1)

Reuters: US Appeals Court Reinstates Guam In-Person Abortion Counseling Law
A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a law requiring that women in Guam meet with doctors in person before obtaining abortions, a restriction that has made terminating pregnancies in the U.S. territory difficult due to a lack of doctors. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a judge's 2021 ruling that blocked enforcement of the law, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had established a national right to abortions. (Raymond, 8/1)

Bloomberg: Abortion Pill Provider Buys From Indian Manufacturer With Bad Quality Record
With splashy marketing campaigns and major donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DKT International has become one of the world’s largest sellers of abortion pills, serving women from India to Mexico. The Washington DC-based nonprofit says it provides high-quality medicines, condoms and other reproductive health products at affordable prices. But almost one-fifth of the 30 million products DKT distributes annually for abortions and postpartum hemorrhage prevention come from an Indian company with a record of making substandard medicine. (Taggart and Pulla, 8/1)

Also —

AP: Global AIDS Program Targeted In Abortion Battle Gets New Home In State Department Bureau 
The State Department launched a new bureau Tuesday aimed at making the battle against global outbreaks a lasting priority of U.S. foreign policy, even as one of its key elements – a widely acclaimed HIV program – has become caught up in the political battle over abortion. The bureau is to include the 20-year-old initiative known as the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. ... Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a ceremony for the new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, made only a passing reference to the abortion fight threatening PEPFAR’s normally assured support from lawmakers, saying he hoped Congress approved the program for another five years, without amendments. (Knickmeyer, 8/1)