abortion-- as practiced and restricted-- in Indiana

From the same Indy Star article by Shari Rudavsky, more interesting details about abortion-- as practiced and restricted-- in Indiana...

Restrictions on abortion in Indiana

The parent of a minor must consent before an abortion is provided. (34 states require some parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion.)

A woman must receive state-directed counseling (33 states) and then wait 18 hours before the procedure is provided. (24 of those same 33 states require women to wait a specified amount of time -- usually 24 hours -- between the counseling and the abortion.) Indiana is one of seven states that require that all counseling be provided in person and that the counseling take place before the waiting period begins, meaning two trips to the facility are necessary.

Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, physical health, rape or incest. (32 states and the District of Columbia follow this federal standard.)

Other regulations

Post-first-trimester abortions must be performed in a hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center.

Indiana prohibits a late-term procedure that critics call partial-birth abortion.

Indiana offers "Choose Life" license plates, the proceeds of which benefit pregnancy care centers and/or other organizations providing abortion alternatives.

A physician, hospital, facility employee or staff member who objects on religious, moral or ethical grounds is not required to participate in abortions.

A private or religiously affiliated hospital is not required to permit the use of its facilities for the performance of an abortion.

A matter of privilege

To obtain hospital privileges, a physician must go through a lengthy vetting process that can take two to four months or longer.

Once physicians pass that initial test, they fill out an application, including details about their education, training, career to date, any sanctions, lawsuits or criminal activity, and references. On the application, a physician also typically must request what type of procedures he or she plans to perform in the hospital.

The hospital then validates that information and sends the application to the hospital's credentials committee, which consists of medical staff members. The credentials committee interviews the applicant and makes a recommendation to the board of trustees, which has the final say.

Additional Facts

» 15: Number of doctors who provided abortions in Indiana in 2000 and 2005.

» 7: Number of such doctors in Indiana now.

» 10,850: Number of abortions in Indiana in 2005.

» 93: Percentage of Indiana counties without a doctor who provided abortions in 2005.

» 63: Percentage of women living in counties without a doctor who provided abortions.

» 9: Indiana metropolitan areas that don't have an abortion provider: Muncie; Columbus; Michigan City-LaPorte; Elkhart-Goshen; Kokomo; Lafayette; Evansville; Anderson; Terre Haute.

» 10: Percentage of 2005 pregnancies in Indiana that ended in abortion. Nationwide: 19 percent.