The organization Indiana Right to Life released a statement Friday responding to a recent court decision by the Marion County Superior Court that found abortion may be protected as a religious right under certain circumstances.
The ruling, issued late Thursday, centers on the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which protects individuals from government actions that substantially burden their exercise of religion. According to the decision, some plaintiffs argued that their religious beliefs support access to abortion services, and the court granted an injunction allowing those plaintiffs to seek abortions based on those beliefs while the broader legal challenge continues.
A copy of the ruling can be found here.
Statement from Indiana Right to Life
In response, Mike Fichter, president and chief executive officer of Indiana Right to Life, said the ruling misinterprets the intent of the state’s religious freedom law.
“For the court to rule that taking the life of an unborn child is an exercise of religious freedom is deeply distressing—and a perversion of the law’s intent,” Fichter said in the statement.
Fichter argued that the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act was not intended to equate abortion with religious expression. He also expressed concern that, if the decision stands, individuals could claim personal or spiritual beliefs—whether traditional or non-theistic—to justify abortion access.
The organization noted that the court’s injunction currently applies only to the plaintiffs involved in the case, but it warned the ruling could have broader implications if upheld.
Attorney General Files Appeal
Following the decision, Todd Rokita, the Indiana Attorney General, moved quickly to appeal the injunction.
Fichter said the organization supports the appeal and hopes the ruling will be paused while the legal process continues.
“We are encouraged by Attorney General Todd Rokita’s immediate move to appeal this injunction and pray it will be stayed during the appeal process,” he said.