The Indiana Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court’s decision on Thursday, claiming state law requires a religious exemption to the state’s ban on most abortions, but the AG Todd Rokita can appeal the ruling to the Indiana Supreme Court. 

The leftist American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Hoosier Jews for Choice had sued the state over the abortion ban, claiming that for “many Hoosiers, the ability to obtain an abortion is necessary based on a sincerely held religious belief” and paradoxically citing Indiana’s 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which had been supported by conservatives. 

Demand that the basic right to life be upheld in Indiana– send an urgent message today. 

Last year's suit alleged that banning abortion conflicts with the plaintiffs’ interpretation of Jewish teaching that “a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth” and the “necessity of protecting the life and physical and mental health of the mother prior to birth as the fetus is not yet deemed to be a person”.

Thursday’s ruling upheld the plaintiffs' claim that destroying an unborn child in certain circumstances can be “their exercise of religion” and that “their sexual and reproductive lives will continue to be restricted absent the injunction.” 

Protect the unborn – send an urgent message today. 

However, the teachings of both Christianity and Judaism are deeply contrary to abortion. 

Multiple passages of Scripture shared by Christianity and Judaism – among them the Commandment “thou shalt not kill” and the warning that “hands that shed innocent blood” are “detestable” to God – unambiguously prohibit the killing of the innocent, with biology clearly demonstrating that the preborn are indeed human. 

Demand that the basic right to life be upheld in Indiana– send an urgent message today. 

As Indiana Right to Life President Mike Fitcher explained in response to the court’s decision, “Today’s court ruling is wrongly decided. The Indiana Supreme Court has already ruled the state has a compelling interest in protecting unborn life, and Indiana’s new abortion-restriction law is doing that by reducing Indiana abortions to the lowest level in five decades. We are confident Indiana will prevail against any claims that abortion – the intentional ending of an innocent and helpless human life – is a religious freedom.” 

Every life is precious, and our legislation must acknowledge that. We demand that our AG fulfill his responsibility to protect the vulnerable.