Indiana supreme court blocks state from enforcing abortion ban

Court order keeps ban on hold while judges consider whether Republican-backed effort violates state constitution

The Indiana supreme court issued an order Wednesday that prevents the state from enforcing a Republican-backed abortion ban while it considers whether it violates the state constitution.

The supreme court took over the case after a county judge blocked the ban last month, spurring the attorney general to appeal the decision. The court denied a request from the state attorney general's office to set aside the preliminary injunction, setting a hearing on the lawsuit filed by abortion clinic operators for 12 January.