An Iowa law banning most abortions in Iowa will go into effect Monday at 8 a.m.
A district court judge has filed the motion to dissolve the temporary injunction that has blocked the law for over a year. Last July, Governor Reynolds signed the law that forbids abortions in Iowa after fetal activity can be detected, which happens around the sixth week of a pregnancy. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City immediately sued. A Polk County District Court judge issued the temporary order that kept the law from going into effect.
On June 28th of this year, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the law was constitutional, but court procedures required the district court to take the final step to have the law go into effect.
Governor Reynolds signed a similar law in 2018, but the state’s highest court — with a different set of justices than are on the court today — ruled Iowa women had a right to an abortion under the Iowa Constitution. Since then, Reynolds has appointed the four Iowa Supreme Court justices who agreed Iowa’s six week abortion ban is constitutional.
Governor Kim Reynolds released the following statement late this morning: “Today is a victory for life. There is nothing more sacred and no cause more worthy than protecting innocent unborn lives.
“As the fetal heartbeat law finally takes effect, our work will continue to strengthen a culture of life in Iowa. I remain deeply committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, promoting the importance of fatherhood, elevating adoption, and protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF). Families are the foundation of society, and policies that encourage strong families will make our state and country strong for generations to come.”
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights) released the following statement late this morning: “In less than a week, the Iowa Republican abortion ban will go into effect, which means abortion will be illegal in Iowa after just six weeks – before many even know they are pregnant.
“Politicians and judges have no place interfering in someone else’s decisions about when to start a family. Everyone deserves the right to make their own healthcare decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion.
We know Iowans may be frustrated and overwhelmed by politics right now, but we must continue to keep fighting every single day to save our reproductive freedom in Iowa.“The majority of Iowans believe in reproductive freedom, and they must hold their elected officials accountable at the polls this November.”