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AG Curtis Hill Wants Supreme Court To Hear 2016 Anti-Abortion Case

Brandon Smith/IPB News
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill wants the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a lawsuit over a 2016 anti-abortion law.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill wants the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a lawsuit over a 2016 anti-abortion law. It would likely be the first abortion case heard by the court since Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed.

The 2016 law banned abortions performed because of the fetus’ race, gender, or potential disability. It also required medical facilities to bury or cremate fetal remains. A federal judge struck it down last year. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision earlier this year.

Attorney General Curtis Hill wants the Supreme Court to weigh in. He says the fetal characteristic abortion ban guards against discrimination. And he argues the state has the right to require fetal remains to be treated with dignity. The courts have so far rejected those arguments.

Many anti-abortion advocates believe the new conservative balance on the Supreme Court with the addition of Kavanaugh could swing cases like these in their favor.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state.
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