Yesterday, Marion County Superior Court Judge Christina R. Klineman issued a permanent injunction that blocks Indiana from enforcing its near total abortion ban against people whose sincerely held religious beliefs require abortion. The order, which the court certified as a class action, stretches protection beyond the two anonymous plaintiffs to any Hoosier whose faith would direct them to terminate a pregnancy. The law technically remains on the books, but the ruling carves out a narrow religious exemption that could change who is actually able to get care in the state.
According to the ACLU of Indiana, the court found that Senate Enrolled Act 1 places a substantial burden on religious exercise, turning earlier temporary protections into a permanent injunction. “Today’s ruling is a recognition that religious freedom protects people of many faiths and beliefs, not just those favored by the state,” ACLU attorney Stevie Pactor said in the group’s statement. The ACLU released the order along with its announcement and said the ruling covers a certified class, not just the original plaintiffs.
"Having considered the parties' written submissions and heard oral argument, the Court DENIES the State’s motion and GRANTS Plaintiffs’ motion," Judge Klineman wrote in the court's order. Her opinion explains that the Abortion Law conflicts with Indiana’s 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act because the statute includes secular exceptions, such as a specific exemption for in vitro fertilization and limited rape and incest carve outs, while refusing similar relief when a person’s religion would call for an abortion. The court therefore imposed a permanent injunction that shields class members from enforcement of SEA 1 in situations where it would substantially burden their religious exercise.
What the order means for Hoosiers
In practice, the injunction is narrow. It protects only those who can show that their "sincerely held religious beliefs" require an abortion that the law would otherwise prohibit, and it does not require any clinician to perform a procedure. As the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse notes, the case has been in the courts since September 2022 and has already made one trip through the appellate system, which helps explain why questions about how far the order reaches and how it will be enforced are still swirling.
Legal implications
The court applied RFRA’s strict scrutiny standard and concluded that the state did not prove a compelling interest in protecting prenatal life "from the moment of fertilization," citing the law’s under inclusiveness. The order also underscores that physicians who violate SEA 1 face potential criminal charges and professional discipline, a risk the court weighed when assessing harms and crafting relief that is limited to the certified class. Because the injunction operates on a class wide basis rather than wiping the statute out altogether, broader constitutional fights over the law are expected to surface on appeal.
What comes next
State officials could seek further review. WISH TV reports that the state may challenge the ruling in the Indiana Court of Appeals, and the Clearinghouse record indicates the case has already moved through intermediate appellate review once earlier in the dispute. Any new appeal will decide how broad the exemption really is and how safely providers can operate within it. Until an appellate court steps in, the injunction remains in effect for the certified class.
Advocates on both sides say they are gearing up for the next round, with the ACLU vowing to defend the order and opponents signaling they may keep pressing their arguments in court. For now, the decision stands as a major development in Indiana’s long running legal fight over how far religious exemptions can reach inside post Dobbs abortion laws.
