Pregnancy Resource Center, Health Care Providers Challenge Indiana Requirement Forcing Providers to Share Misleading Information Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ āReversingā an Abortion
Lawsuit Also Challenges Ban on Patientsā Ability to Obtain Medication Abortion Via Telemedicine, Comes Day After Supreme Court Accepts Review of Mississippi Abortion Ban
INDIANAPOLIS ā All-Options pregnancy resource center joined a coalition of health care providers today several recently enacted abortion restrictions in Indiana, including a measure forcing health care providers to share false and misleading information with their patients about āreversingā a medication abortion, a bogus claim that may lead some patients to end a pregnancy based on the mistaken belief that its effects can later be undone.
There is no scientific evidence that a medication abortion can be halted after a patient has taken the first medication and leading medical organizations these requirements. Forcing providers to give their patients this misinformation is both unethical and unconstitutional; courts in ,, and have blocked similar restrictions.
āEvery day we help Hoosiers overcome barriers to find the abortion care they need,ā said Parker Dockray, executive director of All-Options. āIndiana needs more access and compassion, not more restrictions. HB 1577 is a step in the wrong direction and we're proud to be challenging it along with our partners.ā
The lawsuit ā All-Options v. Attorney General of Indiana ā also challenges a 2021 ban on patientsā ability to obtain medication abortion via telemedicine. A nearly identical ban is already being considered by a federal district court judge in separate litigation ā Whole Womanās Health Alliance v. Rokita ā a host of abortion restrictions in Indiana.
āThese new regulations imposed by Indiana lawmakers are layered on top of an already burdensome regulatory scheme, making it difficult for people to access safe abortions, and more and more difficult for us to provide this essential medical care,ā said Amy Hagstrom-Miller, president & CEO of Whole Womanās Health Alliance. āMedication abortion is safer than many over-the-counter medications, and can be safely administered via telehealth. Claims of so-called āabortion reversalā are not supported by science and can give patients dangerous, misleading information. All people, including folks in Indiana, deserve access to evidence-based abortion care and the agency to build their own lives and future.ā
These are not the only legal challenges to the myriad obstacles and indignities Hoosiers face when they need an abortion:
- Patients and health care providers are Indianaās restriction forcing health care providers to dispose of embryonic and fetal tissue from miscarriage and abortion patients like they would a deceased person -- either through interment or cremation;
- All-Options, Whole Womanās Health Alliance, and other health care providers are a host of abortion restrictions, including (1) Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (TRAP) laws; (2) laws that deny abortion patients the benefits of scientific progress; (3) biased counseling and waiting-period laws; and (4) laws that criminalize abortion care. was held in that challenge in March 2021;
- An individual health care provider is challenging a law that would have banned the standard method for abortion care starting in the earliest weeks of the second trimester. A federal district court blocked that ban in 2019;
- Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiāi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK) is challenging a law providing that even if a court exempts a minor from Indianaās parental consent requirement because it determines the minor is mature, a parent must still be notified of the minorās abortion ā thus allowing a practical veto of the minorās decision. A federal district court blocked that requirement in 2017. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has twice the injunction, and the state has twice petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case. An injunction blocking the law remains in effect; and
- PPGNHAIK is also challenging invasive reporting requirements that single out abortion providers, a restriction which has been blocked.
āAnti-abortion politicians in Indiana have doubled down on depriving pregnant people of medical care,ā said Sneha Shah, litigation counsel at the Lawyering Project. āWe are proud to stand with our partners and clients in challenging these unscientific, bogus restrictions that deprive pregnant people of the dignity they deserve.ā
āDespite our constant efforts to warn Indiana legislators and Governor Holcomb that this law is unconstitutional and would inevitably be challenged in the courts, elected officials yet again put politics ahead of womenās health,ā said Ken Falk, legal director at the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ of Indiana. āThese restrictions would put Hoosiers at risk while ignoring science and the rights of medical providers.ā
āThe reckless bills passed in the Indiana General Assembly this session demonstrate exactly why legislators need to leave the practice of medicine to medical professionals,ā said Chris Charbonneau, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiāi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. āIn Indiana and across the country, people deserve the freedom and privacy to make personal medical decisions that are best for themselves and their families. This new law will hurt the people of Indiana who already face myriad restrictions when accessing reproductive health care. People deserve the right to trusted medical information that is scientific and evidence based. Anything else is dangerous and unethical. Given the Supreme Courtās decision this week to consider a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade, it is critical that we do everything in our power to protect and strengthen access to medically-sound, fact-based reproductive care. We expect our elected leaders to stop playing doctor and instead work to improve the lives of the people they serve.ā
The plaintiffs in todayās challenge include , , , Womenās Med Group Professional Corporation, and individual physicians. They are represented by , ,, and Katherine D. Jack of the Jack Law Office LLC.
The complaint is here:
Learn More Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ the Issues in This Press Release
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Press ReleaseJul 2025
Reproductive Freedom
Consent Decree Permanently Blocks Idaho Attorney Generalās Ban On Out-of-state Abortion Referrals. Explore Press Release.Consent Decree Permanently Blocks Idaho Attorney Generalās Ban on Out-of-State Abortion Referrals
BOISE, Idaho ā Idaho Attorney General RaĆŗl Labrador and the Ada and Valley County prosecutors have agreed to be bound by a consent decree permanently blocking them from prosecuting health care providers for referring patients for abortions out of state. The consent decree was signed today by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill. Under the terms of the decree, the attorney general and county prosecutors are prohibited from sanctioning or prosecuting the plaintiffs for referring, counseling about, or otherwise offering information to patients who seek abortion outside of Idahoās borders. In addition, the attorney generalās office must pay $400,000 in legal fees. The settlement ensures that Idaho health care providers may continue offering comprehensive counseling and assistance to their patients, including information about health care that is legal in other states, without fear of being penalized by the attorney general or state prosecutors. In a state like Idaho, where the attorney general has fought to limit emergency care for pregnant patients facing complications and where OB-GYNs are fleeing the state because of fears of being penalized, referrals for out-of-state care can save a patientās health or even life. Statement from Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiāi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK): āThis resolution affirms something every patient deserves: open, honest care from a provider they trust. It ensures that health care providers in Idaho can continue doing what they are trained and ethically bound to doāoffer accurate information and help patients access the care they need, even if that care is out of state. In a state where abortion is banned, those referrals can be lifesaving. No one should have to fear punishment for helping someone make the best decision for their health and future. This outcome brings much-needed clarity, compassion, and relief to both patients and providers.ā Joint Statement from Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ of Idaho; and Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ: āIn a state with a total abortion ban, referrals are a critical tool for health care providers to help their patients. This resolution ensures that Idaho health care providers can continue serving their patients by providing counseling and information on all of their options, including abortion out of state. While we are grateful that this consent decree permanently blocks the attorney general from acting on his threat against providers for giving their patients much-needed information, we know that attacks on Idahoansā reproductive freedom wonāt stop here. We will continue fighting with everything we have to ensure that every Idahoan has the ability to make personal health decisions without politicians interfering.ā The settlement in Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiāi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky v. Labrador ends a case that began in April 2023, when Attorney General Labrador issued a legal opinion asserting that assistance from a health care provider ā including offering information about out-of-state abortions ā could be a violation of Idahoās abortion ban, threatening health care licenses or even criminal prosecution. This opinion misinterpreted Idahoās law and was an extreme attempt to prevent health care providers from giving information to patients and to prevent Idahoans from accessing legal health care in another state. In December 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling blocking the opinion and held that health care providers were likely to succeed on their claim that the opinion violates their First Amendment rights to communicate with their patients about abortion. This lawsuit was filed by attorneys from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ, the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ of Idaho, and the law firms Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Bartlett & French LLP, and Stris & Maher LLP on behalf of PPGNHAIK, Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, and Dr. Darin L. Weyhrich. -
Press ReleaseJul 2025
Reproductive Freedom
Judge Issues Preliminary Injunctions Again Blocking Missouriās Abortion Bans, Some Restrictions. Explore Press Release.Judge Issues Preliminary Injunctions Again Blocking Missouriās Abortion Bans, Some Restrictions
Kansas City, Mo. ā A Jackson County circuit court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of Missouriās abortion bans and several targeted regulations of abortion providers. The new preliminary injunction clears the way for Missouriās Planned Parenthood members to again provide procedural abortion care. In May, the Missouri Supreme Court clarified the stateās legal standard for issuing a preliminary injunction, forcing the circuit court to temporarily vacate its original orders, and effectively implement a de facto abortion ban. āWhile the clarification on the standard is welcome, its immediate consequence temporarily pulled back implementation of Missouriansā constitutional right to access abortion care and providersā right to offer that care,ā said Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation at the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ of Missouri. āThis critical win begins to restore abortion access in our state, but Missourians must be vigilant and defeat the attacks on the constitutional rights that we secured at the ballot box last November.ā āAbortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it,ā said Emily Wales, president and CEO, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. āCare starts again on Monday in Kansas City. Weāre not stopping until every Missourian can get the care they need, close to home.ā āWe are grateful that procedural abortion can resume in the state of Missouri, just as voters demanded last November. However, the whiplash has created immense confusion for patients in Missouri,ā said Margot Riphagen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers. āThis decision is a step forward toward fully realizing Missourians' right to reproductive freedom, and the staff at our Central West End health center in St. Louis will work as quickly as possible to resume scheduling abortion appointments." The order did not address the pending request to enjoin other targeted restrictions that are preventing medication abortion access from being restored in Missouri. Previously, both Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri submitted complication plans to satisfy the existing requirements to allow them to offer medication abortions. The Department of Health and Senior Services failed to respond to either affiliatesā submissions or follow-up inquiries for several weeks. Instead, the department manufactured an āemergency ruleā that resembled many of the court-blocked regulations and cited it as the reason for refusing the submitted plans. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri, who are represented by attorneys from the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ of Missouri, the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ, Crowell & Moring, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The full case is currently slated for trial in January 2026. -
Press ReleaseJul 2025
Disability Rights
+2 Issues
Aclu Statement On Final Passage Of Massive Budget Bill Cutting Medicaid To Fund Abusive Deportation Efforts. Explore Press Release.Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ Statement on Final Passage of Massive Budget Bill Cutting Medicaid to Fund Abusive Deportation Efforts
WASHINGTON ā The U.S. House of Representatives today gave final approval to H.R. 1, a budget bill that guts Medicaid and will wreak havoc on our communities, sending it to President Trumpās desk for his signature. H.R. 1 is the biggest cut to Medicaid in history ā slashing approximately $1 trillion, which will result in at least 12 million people being removed from the program. The bill also cuts off access to Planned Parenthood services for Medicaid enrollees and restricts higher education opportunities, all to fund a dramatic and permanent increase to an immigration detention and deportation apparatus that denies due process and violates human rights. Following the vote in the House, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ, issued the following statement: āThis reckless monstrosity is the most harmful bill to pass Congress in a generation. Instead of strengthening Medicaid, theyāve taken an axe to it. Instead of reining in ICEās abuses, Congress is throwing the agency billions more to terrorize our communities. āWhen 12 million people are kicked off Medicaid, patients are no longer able to get lifesaving cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, disabled people lose access to essential care and autonomy, and ICE ramps up lawless raids in our communities, the American people will remember who caused this devastation to our health, rights, and dignity. We wonāt let them forget.ā -
Press ReleaseJun 2025
Reproductive Freedom
Women's Rights
Aclu Responds To Supreme Court Greenlighting State Efforts To ādefundā Planned Parenthood. Explore Press Release.Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ Responds to Supreme Court Greenlighting State Efforts to āDefundā Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON ā The Supreme Court ruled today that Medicaid patients do not have a right to sue to enforce their right to a qualified health care provider of choice under the Medicaid statute. The decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic will facilitate some statesā politically motivated efforts to block low-income patientsā access to certain health care providers and may effectively defund Planned Parenthood and other disfavored providers by barring them from state Medicaid programs. āThe majority decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic contradicts Congressās clear purpose to give Medicaid patients their choice of qualified health care providers and also wrongly curtails patientsā rights to vindicate their choice of provider through Section 1983,ā said Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director for the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ. āThe decision may have the effect of blocking patientsā access to birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment for patients in South Carolina and potentially will permit state officials to override patientsā choice of provider based on political whims.ā āThe impact of this decision on our reproductive freedom will be compounded if Congress follows through on federal efforts to 'defund' Planned Parenthood by prohibiting patients from choosing Planned Parenthood health centers for their care,ā said Deirdre Schifeling, Chief Political and Advocacy Officer of the Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ. āDoing so would force the closure of hundreds of Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide, robbing people of their freedom to get reproductive health care from trusted providers in their communities and would result in shuttering 1 in 4 of the countryās abortion providers. "Make no mistake: our reproductive freedom is still under siege. The Ķųŗģ±¬ĮĻ remains committed to fighting for Planned Parenthood, abortion access, and the fundamental human right to control oneās own body using every tool we have.