INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Mike Pence signed a bill into law Thursday making Indiana the second state to ban abortions because of fetal genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome.

Pence, a Republican, signed the measure just hours ahead of his deadline to take action on the proposal approved by the Republican-dominated Legislature two weeks ago, the governor’s office said. It takes effect in July.

Pence called the bill ‘‘a comprehensive prolife measure that affirms the value of all human life.’’

‘‘I believe that a society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable — the aged, the infirm, the disabled and the unborn,’’ he said in a statement.

In addition to banning abortions due to fetal genetic abnormalities, the law will prohibit abortions done because of a fetus’s race, sex, or ancestry, and mandate that the only way to dispose of an aborted fetus is through burial or cremation.

The bill has been criticized by a national group of gynecologists and several female Republican members of the Legislature, who say it goes too far in telling women what they can and can’t do.

Observers said it is unclear what impact, if any, the new restrictions will have on abortions, as women could cite other reasons — or not give any — for seeking an abortion.

Associated Press