Iowa judge blocks effort to ban most abortions in the state
A state judge has blocked an effort to ban most abortions in Iowa by upholding a court decision made three years ago
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An effort to ban most abortions in Iowa was blocked Monday by a state judge who upheld a court decision made three years ago.
Judge Celene Gogerty found there was no process for reversing a permanent injunction that blocked the abortion law in 2019.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that she would appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Current state law bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but Reynolds asked the courts to reverse the 2019 decision that blocked a bill she had signed into law the previous year. That law prohibited abortions once cardiac activity can be detected — the “fetal heartbeat” concept — which usually happens around six weeks of pregnancy and is often before many women know they’re pregnant.
