An Iowa law functionally banning abortion after six weeks finally took effect Monday, after years of Republican-led efforts.
The law bans abortion procedures after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected, before many women realize they are pregnant. Nationwide, about 60% of abortions occurred after six weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“There is no right more sacred than life,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican.
Reynolds and other conservative lawmakers in the state spent years trying to pass the six-week ban, only to be blocked by several court decisions. But in June, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the law in a 4-3 decision, and a district court allowed it to take effect on Monday.
Iowa is now one of four states to ban abortion after six weeks. In 14 states, abortion is almost entirely illegal. All 18 restrictive states are governed by Republicans, and they are largely in the southern and central parts of the country.
Prior to Monday, Iowa had been one of few Midwest states to permit abortion up to 20 weeks into pregnancy. Now, only Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota allow such procedures. Nebraska bans abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
“We have spent months planning for the possibility of this new reality, putting in place patient navigators and other supports to connect patients with the care they so desperately need — both now and in the future,” Planned Parenthood North Central States said in a statement after the Iowa Supreme Court decision.
Those preparations included working with Planned Parenthood locations in Mankato, Minn., and Omaha, Neb., according to the group’s chief medical officer, Sarah Traxler. Additionally, reproductive health clinics will remain open in Iowa to provide abortions before six weeks.
Some medical professionals have argued the term “fetal heartbeat” is inaccurate to begin with. About six weeks into pregnancy, a cluster of cells begins sending electrical impulses. That cluster of cells eventually develops into different structures of the heart.
The Iowa ban includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest and if the woman’s life is in danger.
Last year, a poll in Iowa found 61% of residents believed abortion should be legal, while only 35% supported a ban. However, Gov. Reynolds still proclaimed “the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.”
With News Wire Services
