2024 – Iowa | Most abortions banned after about six weeks

(Des Moines) A ​​strict abortion law went into effect in Iowa on Monday, banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, when many women are unaware they are pregnant.

Republican leaders in Iowa have been pushing for the law for years, and that push gained momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Iowa Supreme Court also ruled this year that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state.

“There is no right more sacred than life,” Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in June. “I am pleased that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.” Today, four states in the country ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and 14 states ban abortions at almost all stages of pregnancy.

Iowa’s legislation and other restrictions across the country are on the ballot in the 2024 elections. Republicans celebrate their successes, while Democrats criticize them as an attack on women’s rights.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, said reproductive rights are at stake in November.^me Harris released a video Monday to draw attention to the issue as the law takes effect in Iowa.

“What we need to do is vote,” she said. “When I am president of the United States, I am going to sign legislation that protects reproductive freedom.”

‘Devastating’ for some, ‘historic’ for others

Iowa abortion clinics oppose the new law, but are still preparing for it. They are expanding abortion access in neighboring states and learning from states where bans went into effect more quickly.

They said they would continue to operate in Iowa under the new law, but Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States, called it a “devastating and dark” moment in the state’s history.

The Iowa law passed the Republican-controlled Legislature in a special session last year, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic immediately filed a legal challenge. The law was in effect for only a few days before a district judge temporarily blocked it — a decision that Gov. Kim Reynolds appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The Iowa Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision in June reiterated that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state and ordered the suspension lifted. A district judge said last week that the suspension would be lifted Monday morning. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called it a “historic day for Iowa.”

The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which is about six weeks. There are limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the mother’s life is in danger. Previously, abortion was legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Preparing for restrictions

According to Planned Parenthood representatives and Emma Goldman, three abortion clinics in two Iowa cities are offering in-person abortion procedures and will continue to do so until cardiac activity is detected.

A law based on heart activity is “tricky,” said Dr. Traxler of Planned Parenthood. Since the six-week date is approximate, “we don’t necessarily want to abort people at a certain gestational age,” she said.

For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has been investing in the area, both inside and outside Iowa, to prepare for the restrictions. As in other regions, the organization has dedicated staff to answer the phone, help people find appointments, connect with other providers, arrange travel plans or financial assistance.

Also, the center in Omaha, Nebraska, just across the border, is being renovated, and medication abortions have recently been offered in Mankato, Minnesota, about an hour’s drive from Iowa.

However, health care providers worry that this radical shift in access will widen health disparities for Iowans of color and those from low-income families.