Requiring counseling before abortion OK

CHICAGO — Indiana’s law mandating that women get in-person counseling before having an abortion is constitutional, an appellate court ruled Sept. 16.

The 7^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago reversed a lower court decision that sided with opponents of the law who had said it would force women to make two trips to a clinic before getting an abortion and could, thus, prevent them from ending a pregnancy. Part of the law, adopted in 1995, required abortion clinics to give women information about abortion alternatives in the presence of a nurse or doctor 18 hours before the abortion is scheduled to occur, the Associated Press reported. The appellate court, in a 2-1 ruling, said women in the state do not face an obstacle in visiting a clinic two times, in part because the law includes an emergency clause that covers physical or psychological risks to the woman.