Democrats call Indiana’s near-total abortion ban a ‘death sentence’

Law, which takes effect today, contains narrow exceptions and effectively wipes out abortion access for 1.5m people in the state

As Indiana's near-total abortion ban went into effect on Thursday, Democratic lawmakers announced their dismay, referring to the ban as a death sentence".

The bill, SB 1, contains only extremely narrow exceptions in which abortions may now be performed - with abortions for rape and incest capped at 10 weeks; only to be delivered in hospitals; and limiting the procedure to medical emergencies.

This story was updated on 15 September 2022 to remove Ohio from the list of states with current near-total abortion bans, following a state court suspension of the measure.