INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A federal judge has blocked a state mandate that forced women to undergo an ultrasound at least 18 hours before having an abortion.
US District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt says the Indiana mandate creates significant financial and other burdens on the group and its patients.
Not every Planned Parenthood can afford ultrasounds, so some women would have to drive over 100 miles to get an ultrasound.
The state still has time to appeal the ruling; Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill says his office is looking into the next steps.
Judge Pratt also blocked a separate part of the abortion law that banned the procedure if it was requested for fetal genetic abnormalities.
