Religion · Indianapolis, IN Metro · September 14, 2026
Indiana Supreme Court Weighs Jewish Religious Claim to Abortion Access
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday in Indianapolis over whether the state's near-total abortion ban violates the religious freedom of Jews who hold that human life begins at first breath, not conception. The case, brought by Hoosier Jews for Choice and two anonymous plaintiffs represented by the ACLU of Indiana, challenges a law a lower court permanently blocked in March; the state is appealing. ACLU attorney Kenneth Falk argued the ban's rape-and-incest exceptions show precedent for a religious exception too. Indiana Solicitor General James Barta countered that religious liberty has never included a right to end human life, and questioned whether plaintiffs — none currently pregnant — have standing. Mainstream Jewish groups including the NCJW and ADL back the challenge; the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty filed briefs supporting the state, with attorney Josh Blackman noting Jewish teaching on abortion is not uniform. A similar Kentucky case partially succeeded this May. No ruling timeline was given, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Source: Israel National News
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Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
This case asks American courts to weigh competing religious claims about when human life begins — and to potentially carve a religious exemption into abortion law based on interpretations that reject the sanctity of unborn life Scripture affirms. Christians should note the NCJW's framing of pro-life conviction as merely a 'narrow, Christian belief,' when the belief that life begins at conception rests on the character of God as Creator, not sectarian preference. If courts accept that religious liberty can compel states to permit abortion, the precedent cuts both ways — it could eventually be used to narrow protections for Christian institutions claiming conscience exemptions on other matters. Bible-believing Christians should watch this case as a test of how religious liberty law will treat the value of unborn life going forward.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. — Psalms 139:13
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From the book
Defensively, Christians have to support legal defense organizations that fight strategic cases to establish precedent, building a wall of case law that protects the rights of conscience. This is Counter-Rule 13 operating across institutions rather than individuals. Offensively, we use the law to dismantle unjust structures. Where a corporation or an agency violates the civil rights of religious employees, we sue, not out of vengeance but to enforce the law.
— Chapter 20, “The Legal Arena”
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