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An Indiana Department of Health report released in April shows a total of 146 abortions occurred in 2024 – a 98% decrease from 2022. This is the first annual terminated pregnancy report in which the state’s near-total abortion ban was in full effect.
Ninety-three of the abortions were performed due to lethal fetal anomaly; 40 were due to serious health risk or life of the mother and nine were due to rape or incest.
More than half were performed by using an abortion pill or intracardiac injections.The rest were surgical procedures.
In 2023, while the ban was partially in effect, there were a total of 4,579 abortions performed in Indiana. Before the ban was in effect in 2022, there were a total of 9,529 abortions.
Half of the women who obtained an abortion were between the ages of 25-34 while only two were under the age of 16. Nearly half of the women indicated they were married.
Under the state’s ban, abortions can only be done in hospitals.
Nine hospitals in Marion, Allen and St. Joseph counties carried out the abortions. There were 67 terminations reported at Riley Health Maternity Tower and 52 reported at Sidney & Lois Eskanazi Hospital. Both of these hospitals are located in Indianapolis.
Indiana law requires that health care providers who perform terminated pregnancies report to the IDOH. Providers must report within 30 days if the patient is 16 or older and within three days if younger than 16. Each of the reports should include demographic, medical and procedural information.
While 142 terminated pregnancies reports were submitted to the IDOH through the electronic reporting system, Indiana University Health submitted four incomplete reports via email that lacked demographic, medical and procedural details. The reports did include that they occurred at an IU Health facility in 2024 but did not report all the required information.
Two doctors from IU Health testified in March that they haven’t submitted the reports since Dec. 23 — when a new federal rule on reproductive health care privacy went into effect.
In January, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed new executive orders on abortion records to ensure the laws are “fully and faithfully executed,” including terminated pregnancy report submissions.
In February, the Indiana Department of Health settled with an anti-abortion group – backed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita – to continue to release individual reports filed on abortion after opting to no longer release these reports due to patient privacy concerns in December 2023.
A judge, however, blocked that release.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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