The District Court ruled to block the law, saying that it was "unconstitutionally vague." The three-judge panel from the Court of Appeals disagreed with this assessment. Writing for the majority, Circuit Judge Amy St. Eve wrote, “… Planned Parenthood has not shown that the law is unconstitutionally vague on its face in this pre-enforcement challenge.”
The Indiana law, titled Act No. 340, was signed into law in 2018. It requires medical professionals to report 26 types of abortion complications uterine perforation, cervical perforation, failed abortion, hemorrhaging, infection, shock, cardiac arrest, psychological effects, or preterm labor. A medical professional who fails to do this could be found guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and $1,000 in fines.
“Complications from abortion have been notoriously difficult to track,” said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, “resulting in a skewed understanding of the danger abortion poses to women.” Rokita called the ruling “a huge win for the safety of women” and vowed to continue to “fight tirelessly for the rights of the unborn.”
