Iowa’s high court recently refused to unblock a strict ban on most abortions, which has been a contentious issue for some time. This decision rebuffs Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ efforts to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know they are pregnant. This ruling means that Iowa will not be joining many other conservative states that have severely limited access to the procedure.
The 2018 “fetal heartbeat” law that Reynolds sought to reinstate would have banned abortions once cardiac activity could be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. However, the state’s high court upheld a 2019 district court ruling that blocked the law. This decision was largely procedural, as the 2022 appeal to the 2019 ruling was too late, but it still means that abortions remain legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
While this news is a victory for pro-choice advocates, it’s important to note that the ruling does not preclude Reynolds and lawmakers from passing a new law that looks the same. This means that the fight over abortion access in Iowa is far from over.
Most Republican-led states have severely curtailed access to abortion in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court stripped women’s constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade and handing authority over the issue to states. Reynolds signed the 2018 law despite state and federal court decisions at the time, including Roe, affirming a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. Planned Parenthood sued, and a state judge blocked the law the following year. Reynolds did not appeal the decision at the time.
It’s worth noting that the Iowa law contains exceptions for medical emergencies, including threats to the mother’s life, rape, incest, and fetal abnormality. However, the law’s terminology has been criticized for not easily translating to medical science. At the point where advanced technology can detect the first visual flutter, the embryo isn’t yet a fetus and does not have a heart. An embryo is termed a fetus eight weeks after fertilization.
In conclusion, the fight over abortion access in Iowa is far from over. While this ruling is a victory for pro-choice advocates, it’s important to keep an eye on what Reynolds and lawmakers will do next. The battle over reproductive rights in the United States is ongoing, and we must remain vigilant in protecting women’s rights to access safe and legal abortion services.
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