Iowa’s six-week abortion ban takes effect
One of the country’s harshest abortion bans went into effect in Iowa on Monday, and it will severely limit the medical procedure after six weeks as opposed to the previous 20-week benchmark.
One of the country’s harshest abortion bans went into effect in Iowa on Monday, and it will severely limit the medical procedure after six weeks as opposed to the previous 20-week benchmark.
Iowa’s six-week ban marks the 22nd state that has banned some or all abortions. We know how dangerous this ban will be for Iowans, but we will not stop fighting for your right to abortion care. https://t.co/wj6bLvgBWQ
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 29, 2024
Although the law does include exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities and the life of the mother, many women do not even know they are pregnant by this time, let alone ready to make a consequential decision like ending their pregnancy. According to data from SSM Health, 59% of women start to experience symptoms five or six weeks into the pregnancy.
Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) first signed the fetal heartbeat bill in July 2023 after calling a special session of the Republican-dominated state legislature to pass an abortion ban. The bill became law for only a few days until a judge put a block on the ban, prompting a legal battle that reached the Iowa Supreme Court.
In a 4-3 ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court, which is comprised of five justices appointed by Reynolds, reversed the block in June.
