DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s strict abortion laws went into effect Monday and immediately bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
Iowa Republican leaders have been pushing for the law for years, and gained momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Iowa Supreme Court also ruled that year that there was 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.”
Now, through the whole countryFour states ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and 14 states have a near-total ban at all stages of pregnancy.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called it a “historic day for Iowa.”
Iowa’s abortion clinics are fight the new law, but still prepare for itimproving abortion access in neighboring states and leveraging lessons learned where bans took effect more quickly.
They have said they will continue to operate in Iowa in accordance with 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.
“Today’s ban will impact Iowans for generations,” said Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States.
The Iowa law and other restrictions across the country will be a focus of the 2024 election, with Republicans celebrating their successes and Democrats criticizing them as an attack on women’s rights. Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be the Democratic presidential nominee, has said reproductive rights are at stake this november.
Statements released Monday by several Democratic campaigns and committees revealed that the law affected former President and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, as well as Iowa’s all-Republican congressional delegation.
The law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in a special session last year, but a legal challenge was immediately filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic. 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 4-3 verdict in June reiterated that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state and ordered the blockade lifted. A district judge said last week that the blockade would be lifted Monday morning.
The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity can be 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.
The State Medical Council has determined standards of practice for complying with the law earlier this year, although the rules do not outline disciplinary measures or how the board would determine non-compliance.
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 Traxler of Planned Parenthood. Because six weeks is approximate, “we don’t necessarily have plans to cut people off at a certain gestational age,” she said.
For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has been investing in the region, both inside and outside Iowa, to prepare for the restrictions. As in other regions, it has dedicated staff to answer the phone, help people find appointments, connect with other providers, arrange travel plans or financial assistance.
It is also renovating its center in Omaha, Nebraska, just across the state line, and now offers medication abortions in Mankato. Minnesota, about an hour’s drive from Iowa.
However, health care providers fear the dramatic change in access will widen health disparities for Iowa women of color and residents from low-income families.
Across the country, the status of abortion has been in flux since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For example, laws banning abortion have gone into effect immediately, states have enacted new restrictions or expansions on abortion access, and lawsuits have stayed those cases.
In states with restrictions, major abortion options are pills via telecare or underground networks And travelingenormous increase demand in states with greater access.