Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law a bill that would ban dismemberment abortions last week. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana immediately filed a lawsuit in order to block it.

Dilation and evacuation abortions, commonly referred to as dismemberment abortions, are common in the second trimester of a pregnancy. While pro-abortion advocates commonly protest the ‘dismemberment’ label, that is exactly how the procedure works to kill unborn children. House Enrolled Act 1211 makes dismemberment abortions a Level 5 felony, excluding abortions performed due to serious medical complications or to save the life of the mother.

The new law is set to go into effect on July 1st, but the ACLU is hoping to block it before it has any chance to impact abortions in the state. “HEA 1211 will discourage women from obtaining abortions and will impose a substantial and unwarranted burden on women’s ability to obtain second-trimester, pre-viability, abortions,” stated Ken Falk, legal director at the ACLU of Indiana.

While the ACLU protests an “unwarranted burden” for women who seek to end their pregnancies, many in the state are rejoicing, including Indiana Right to Life. Mike Fichter, the pro-life group’s president and CEO, stated:

Hoosiers spoke up in great numbers against the atrocity of dismemberment abortions this spring. Legislators listened, and thanks to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature, children will be protected from barbaric dismemberment abortions in Indiana. We thank our pro-life elected officials for their leadership.

Dismemberment bans are a hot issue in the nation’s courts right now. In the last week, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled such a ban unconstitutional. Back in February, 21 states banded together in support of Alabama’s dismemberment ban, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review and uphold it:

It is also undeniably unfortunate for a state to have to defend unborn life by replacing horrific fetal deaths with more merciful ones. But states that do not sanction abortion as a rule nonetheless regard efforts to make abortion procedures marginally more humane as an important second-best means to assert their interest in respecting life.

Time will tell whether or not the new law is upheld, but kudos to Indiana state officials for their efforts on behalf of the unborn.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0