September 9, 2026

On Thursday, September 10, the Indiana Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the challenge to Indiana’s abortion ban brought by two individual plaintiffs and Hoosier Jews for Choice. The plaintiffs argue that the ban burdens their sincere religious beliefs, which would lead them to end a pregnancy in some cases. In March, a trial court held that the ban violates Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and permanently enjoined the state from enforcing it against religiously motivated abortions. Now the state’s highest court takes up the case.

In June, LRRP filed an amicus brief on behalf of religious studies scholars documenting something often missing from the legal debate: that for many people of faith, the decision to end a pregnancy is made because of—not despite—their religious commitments. The ACLU of Indiana will hold a rally at the court on Thursday morning.

LRRP will be following Thursday’s argument closely and will share analysis as the case develops. In the meantime, see Dr. Christine Ryan’s piece for Rewire News Group on how this case got here, and LRRP’s Report on the Religious Right to Abortion.

Religious Freedom 101 with Liz Reiner Platt
Monday, September 14, 7:30 pm ET | Free, on Zoom

A one-night crash course hosted by The New Evangelicals on where religious freedom protections come from, how courts apply them today, and who they do and don’t reach. Register here.

The Future We Fund: Culture, Climate and Collective Power
Saturday, September 19, 5:00 to 8:00 pm ET | St. Mark’s in the Bowery, 131 E 10th St, New York

Liz joins a Climate Week gathering hosted by ClientEarth, the environmental law organization representing the plaintiff in Hartley v. Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Title VII suit brought by an observant Methodist scientist who asked his employer for a retirement plan free of fossil fuel investments. RSVP here.

The Law, Rights and Religion Project at Union Theological Seminary works to advance a vision of religious liberty that protects everyone—not just those with the most political power. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.