A federal appeals court has upheld a preliminary injunction blocking an Indiana law that would have required almost all minors seeking abortions to have parental consent.

The 2017 law would have required every female under 18 to have at least one parent's written permission to end a pregnancy. While most girls in Indiana who have abortions do so with a parent's consent, a minor can petition a judge for an exception if she can prove that she is mature enough to make that decision or that the procedure is in her best interest.

Senate Enrolled Act 404 would have removed that option.

In 2015, fewer than 4% of minors — about 10 individuals — who sought abortions went through the petition process, according to Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. The ACLU challenged the law on behalf of the women's health provider.

Removing this path to an abortion could prove harmful to a minor, said Ken Falk, legal director of the ACLU of Indiana. Telling her parents about her pregnancy could incite their rage, or she might harm herself in an act of desperation, the legal challenge said.

No minor would make the decision to seek a judicial exception to parental consent lightly, he added.

"It requires an enormous amount of gumption on the part of young women to navigate this process," Falk said. "We want to make sure they have access to a confidential judicial procedure."

The Indiana attorney general's office said it is weighing whether to appeal.

"SEA404 was passed to ensure parents are aware of their child’s decision to have an abortion and assist parents in caring for their child during and after the procedure," the office said in an emailed statement.

The ACLU issued its legal challenge shortly after the law passed in 2017. Days before it was set to go into effect on July 1 of that year, U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker issued a preliminary injunction.

The state appealed. The law has never gone into effect.

Tuesday a panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's ruling by a vote of 2-1, Falk said.

PPINK officials hailed the decision in an emailed statement.

"At Planned Parenthood, we encourage young people to have open and honest conversations with their families, but not everyone is able to do so safely," said Chris Charbonneau, CEO of PPINK. “All Hoosiers, regardless of age ... deserve to make personal medical decisions without the fear of politicians sharing or shaming their private decisions.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at 317-444-6354 or shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.