Court set to rule on Iowa governor's bid to reinstate strict abortion limits
An Iowa court ruling expected Friday could outlaw most abortions in the state or keep the procedure legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, at least for now
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa court ruling expected Friday could outlaw most abortions in the state or keep the procedure legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, at least for now.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds aims to reinstate the blocked 2018 “fetal heartbeat” law that does not allow abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. Currently, abortions are allowed up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Most Republican-led states have severely curtailed access to abortion in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court stripped women's constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade and handing authority over the issue to states.
Reynolds signed the 2018 law despite state and federal court decisions at the time, including Roe, affirming a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. Planned Parenthood sued and a state judge blocked the law the following year. Reynolds did not appeal the decision at the time.
