Amy Hagstrom Miller, President of Whole Woman’s Health (WWHA) in South Bend, Indiana, recently announced the abortion business would no longer have a “physical presence in South Bend.” Its doors are shuttering for good.
The state of Indiana passed a near total abortion ban last summer, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother. Although the law is currently blocked, it specifies that an abortionist who performs an abortion, outside of those exceptions, faces licensure revocation and felony charges, punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
WWHA announced last August that it would be closing because of the abortion ban. However, the law was blocked by a court just one week after its September 15 effective date.
WWHA continued to operate.
Operation Rescue’s annual survey conducted last September revealed the abortion business had already stopped performing surgical abortions and was solely administering chemical abortions.
Legal Action Timeline
Indiana’s abortion ban was temporarily blocked on September 22, 2022, after multiple groups filed lawsuits alleging the law infringed on free exercise of religious freedom and privacy rights.
A month later, the Indiana Supreme Court continued the temporary injunction but, in late January, refused to hear the case which argued the ban violates religious freedom. The state’s highest court has not yet decided concerning the other oral arguments heard.
