Iowa’s strict abortion ban goes into effect today. This law, which is one of the strictest in the U.S., no longer allows abortions to be performed in the state after six weeks, which is before many women even know they are pregnant.
Before this law went into effect, performing an abortion up to 20 weeks was legal in the state. This means that Iowa has joined Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina “in banning abortion where cardiac activity is detected in an embryo.” Moreover, a total of 14 states in the U.S. now have near-total abortion bans at all stages of pregnancy.
As it stands now there are only a few “limited circumstances under the Iowa law that would allow for abortion after six weeks of pregnancy: rape, if reported to law enforcement or a health provider within 45 days; incest, if reported within 145 days; if the fetus has an abnormality ‘incompatible with life’; or if the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life,” the Associated Press reports.
The GOP-controlled legislature passed this law last July during a special session. Subsequently, the American Civil Liberties Union, Parenthood North Central States, and the Emma Goldman Clinic filed legal challenges, and the law was only in place for a couple of Iowa, Planne days before being temporarily blocked by a district court judge.
But on June 28, the state Supreme Court chimed in and reversed the injunction, citing the fact that there was no constitutional right to abortions in Iowa, and ordered the hold to be lifted. That translated into Monday’s district court judge’s decision ordering the law into effect July 29 at 8:00 a.m. Central time. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland submitted a petition attempting to request a rehearing, but the court denied it.
In a statement last Tuesday, Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said, “Today is a victory for life.” Rita Hart, Party Chair for the Iowa Democratic Party, opposes this new law and simply stated, “Women will die” as a result of this change.
President of Planned Parenthood North Central States Ruth Richardson said, “Our hearts are heavy as Iowans have lost the ability to make personal, private medical decisions…We will continue to fight to restore their bodily autonomy.”
Neighboring states have already reported an uptick in number of patients they are receiving from Iowa. According to the Chicago Abortion Fund, they received “more than 60 support requests from Iowa residents during the first three weeks of July, a 165 percent increase over previous months.
Currently, access to abortions is a key issue for this year’s presidential election, especially with Vice President Kamala Harris poised to be the Democratic Party nominee. Harris has already asserted that when it comes to reproductive health “everything is at stake.”