A federal appeals court has dismissed a legal challenge to Indiana’s 2022 abortion law, ruling that the Satanic Temple lacked standing to sue over the state’s restrictions on abortion services. Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm, Unsplash.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — A federal appeals court has dismissed a legal challenge to Indiana’s 2022 abortion law, ruling that the Satanic Temple lacked standing to sue over the state’s restrictions on abortion services.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit unanimously affirmed a lower court decision finding that the religious organization failed to demonstrate that it or its members suffered a direct injury from Indiana’s ban on most abortions, including limits on telehealth abortion services and related criminal penalties. Because the group did not establish standing, the court did not address the substance of its constitutional or religious freedom claims.

The lawsuit stemmed from the Satanic Temple’s effort to ensure its members in Indiana can use telehealth medical services as a means to receive  abortion medication. The organization argued that its tenets support its so-called abortion ritual, a meditative ritual intended to “cast off notions of guilt, shame, and mental discomfort that a patient may be experiencing due to choosing to have a medically safe and legal abortion” – and entitled it to exemptions under the U.S. Constitution and Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The appeals court rejected the case on jurisdictional grounds, leaving Indiana’s law intact.

“We’re proud to have secured another win that keeps Indiana’s pro-life law firmly in place,” Solicitor General James Barta said. “This unanimous ruling is a major step forward for protecting unborn life, and we’re grateful to stand with Hoosier families in defending these essential safeguards.”

Indiana enacted the sweeping abortion restrictions in 2022, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision. The legislation made Indiana the first state in the nation to pass a near-total abortion ban following that ruling, with limited exceptions.

Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office defended the law throughout the litigation, calling the appeals court decision an important affirmation of the statute’s legal footing. Rokita credited members of his legal team for their work on the case, including Solicitor General James Barta and former Deputy Solicitor General Jenna Lorence, who later became Alaska’s solicitor general.

The ruling marks another defense of Indiana’s abortion law amid ongoing legal challenges across the country, reinforcing the state’s authority to enforce its post-Dobbs abortion restrictions.