Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said an executive order he signed yesterday temporarily prohibits all abortions in the state, except for those that would endanger the life of the patient.
Holcomb said it is essential that all personal protective equipment, medical expertise and resources be directed to state hospital systems and healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are all watching the numbers, both positive cases of COVID-19 and deaths, mount by the day,” Holcomb said. “We are living in and through an all-hands-on-deck moment if I’ve ever seen one in my lifetime, and it’s unifying our state.”
Holcomb said the executive order had “the coming surge, and the coming surge only, irrespective of your viewpoints on any one issue,” in mind.
All healthcare facilities – whether they are hospitals, surgical centers, veterinary clinics, dental facilities, abortion clinics, etc. – are ordered to postpone or cancel all elective or non-urgent surgical or invasive procedures starting April 1.
The number of Indiana deaths related to COVID-19, the disease stemming from the new coronavirus, increased to 49 today, though that number does not mean those deaths happened in the last 24 hours. State officials said the number and the number of positive cases reflects testing results confirmed that day, which are backlogged at many labs.
To date, the Indiana State Dept. of Health has reported 2,159 positive cases of COVID-19.
