Iowa six-week abortion ban stalled by state Supreme Court

The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday issued a split decision on a six-week abortion ban, which effectively halts the law and keeps abortion legal up to 20 weeks.

The Iowa high court’s six available justices were unable to reach a majority and split the case 3-3. The question for the body was whether to reverse a lower court’s decision that blocked Gov. Kim Reynold’s (R) effort to implement a six-week abortion ban from 2018, which was dormant until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the national right to an abortion last summer.

Several other states have pending cases on similar abortion bans, making the Iowa court’s decision possibly impactful for other states. Since Iowa will be the first state to hold its caucuses next year, this decision may also play a role on the national stage, similar to how the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case did in the 2022 midterms.

The deadlock was somewhat of a shock since all seven justices on the court were appointed by Republican governors. Justice Dana Oxley (appointed by Reynolds) recused herself from the case for conflict-of-interest reasons, as a law firm she used to work for represented the abortion clinic in the case.

Reynolds expressed her displeasure for the court’s decision in an official statement, saying, “To say that today’s lack of action by the Iowa Supreme Court is a disappointment is an understatement.”