Indiana
Abortion ban, fetal anomaly and a ticking clock: ‘an impossible decision’ | Opinion
Fetal anomalies can be detected after 22 weeks, the point at which abortion is banned in Indiana.
First to Act: The inside story of how Indiana essentially outlawed abortion.
Watch as Indiana conservative lawyer James Bopp Jr., lawmaker Renee Pack (D), and reporter Niki Kelly give context to the fight for abortion access in the state of Indiana.
Amber Martin was 20 weeks pregnant with her son Arlo when she discovered her pregnancy was in danger. Living in Indiana, a red state with a near-total abortion ban, Martin feared what would happen next.
“It’s like somebody just rips a part of your heart out,” Martin said. “You’re about to find out that everything’s so great, and you get to see (your child), and you get to see their little face and what they look like in their hands and their feet, and everything was in place where it should have been — except that.”
That was a case of hydranencephaly, a rare condition in which the fetus’ brain does not properly develop due to spinal fluid in the brain. Hydranencephaly typically results in the death of the fetus after delivery.
For Martin, 41, and her fiance, Michael Dowd, 41, the discovery of Arlo’s hydranencephaly at her ultrasound appointment was world-shattering. Martin learned about the condition 20 weeks and four days into her pregnancy, starting the clock ticking on her treatment options.
It wasn’t, ‘Does Amber have an abortion or not?’
In Indiana, abortion is allowed only in cases of rape, incest, fetal anomalies or if the mother’s life is in danger. Even within those exceptions, treatment options have deadlines. Abortions for cases of fetal anomalies are banned after 22 weeks of pregnancy.
After receiving Arlo’s diagnosis, Martin had about a week and a half before she would lose access to legal abortion.
Martin transferred her care from Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, a Catholic facility that does not perform abortions, to IU Health University Hospital in Indianapolis. Her St. Vincent doctors offered Martin one path: Carry Arlo to term while having regular CT scans and ultrasounds. University Hospital gave Martin a choice between terminating the pregnancy immediately or delivering through induction, which would have resulted in the same outcome.
Martin chose a dilation and evacuation procedure, a kind of abortion.
“There’s no words to give somebody when they’re having to make an impossible decision between bringing someone to this earth and their own health,” Martin said, adding that she faced risk of sepsis. “That’s what we did. That’s the choice that we had to make. It wasn’t, ‘Does Amber have an abortion or not?’ It’s, ‘How do we help Arlo to have peace and be able to save my life at the same time?’”
Indiana abortion ban puts deadline on treatment options
Martin and Dowd received Arlo’s hydranencephaly diagnosis in time to have options, but that is not the case for every pregnancy. Dr. Carrie Rouse, an Indianapolis OB-GYN, said it is entirely possible for fetal anomalies to be detected after 22 weeks, the point at which abortion is banned in Indiana.
“The diagnosis of fetal anomalies is made through imaging, primarily ultrasound,” Rouse said. “It all depends on when the ultrasound is done. Fetal anomalies are most often diagnosed at the anatomic survey ultrasound, which is done usually between 18 and 20 weeks.
“But there are many different reasons why a patient may not have an ultrasound on that time frame. They may have a late diagnosis of pregnancy. They may have issues accessing care for many different reasons. The anomaly may not be detectable initially and developed later.”
Martin and Dowd, who live in Sheridan, want their experience to be a catalyst for change. They’re urging people to think more critically and empathetically about what abortion access really means. For the couple, choosing abortion felt similar to taking a loved one off life support.
‘The true purpose is intimidation’
Before mourning, though, Martin had to sign Indiana’s Abortion Informed Consent Certification form, which includes a list of statements that must be affirmed and signed off on before the pregnancy can be terminated. One of the statements is an acknowledgment that the fetus can feel pain “at or before twenty (20) weeks of postfertilization age,” even though that actually happens around 24 or 25 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Also, for every abortion, a terminated pregnancy report must be signed and submitted to the Indiana Department of Health. TPRs include confidential information about the patient receiving the abortion.
The IDOH stopped sharing individual TPRs in December 2023. However, a recent executive order signed by Gov. Mike Braun, calls for cooperation with Attorney General Todd Rokita’s push to publish the TPRs of individual patients.
In addition to experiencing the trauma of abortion in Indiana, Hoosier patients who undergo the procedure face fears that their private medical information could become public.
“The true purpose is intimidation,” said Liane Groth Hulka, the co-founder of Our Choice Coalition, a political action committee focused on advocating for reproductive rights. “Even patients that go through really traumatic experiences where they have to seek abortion health care for their own life because they were raped, among other things, they are subject to intimidation, to discrimination, by their need for health care.”
‘Come and sit with me’
Will elected officials, especially those who say they are proponents of saving life, step up and acknowledge that abortion bans can kill? As lawmakers consider the future of abortion policy in Indiana, Martin has one request.
“Talk to somebody who’s been through this,” she said. “Come and sit with me while I have to go through this. Come sit down next to me in this hospital bed.”
Martin and Dowd are advocating for everyone to have life-saving access to abortion and other reproductive rights.
“I’m gonna step back from that word, (abortion), for a second, because I think people take that word and they think that it means that I’m gonna go in and chop up a baby and kill them because I just want to,” Martin said. “It’s a medical term … And there’s lots of different surgical options, medications and therapies that happen underneath that word.
“And I think that’s where we get it messed up, and I think that’s where we’re lacking in education. And that’s the part that makes me extremely angry. People don’t always go and just choose this.”
Indiana’s reproductive reality is deeply concerning. Martin and Dowd hope Arlo’s death can be the cause for life-saving legislative progress and change.
Contact IndyStar opinion fellow Sadia Khatri at sadia.khatri@indystar.com.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
-
South-Carolina3 minutes agoTrump jumps into 2 GOP governor primaries, backing Evette in South Carolina and Feenstra in Iowa – WTOP News
-
South Dakota9 minutes agoMaternity care deserts: Where they are and how to improve
-
Tennessee15 minutes agoAnswering Tennessee Football’s Burning Questions Less Than 100 Days Until Kickoff | Rocky Top Insider
-
Texas21 minutes agoWhy are Mississippi State softball fans wearing broccoli shirts vs Texas at WCWS?
-
Utah27 minutes agoVideo: Utah startup employs those right out of prison and celebrates new milestone – KSLTV.com
-
Vermont33 minutes agoWith two major vacancies, who will lead the Vermont House and Senate? – VTDigger
-
Virginia39 minutes agoNetflix casting Central Virginia singles for “Love on the Spectrum” after Danville man joins show
-
Washington45 minutes agoAs an AI tech-hub, Washington must lead with conscience
