DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) 鈥� An Iowa judge has ruled the state's will take effect Monday, preventing most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.
The law passed last year, but a judge had blocked it from being enforced. The Iowa Supreme Court reiterated in June that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold to be lifted. That translated into Monday's district court judge's decision ordering the law to into effect July 29 at 8:00 a.m. Central time.
Lawyers representing abortion providers asked Judge Jeffrey Farrell for notice before allowing the law to take hold, saying a buffer period was needed to provide continuity of services. Iowa requires pregnant women to wait 24 hours for an abortion after getting an initial consultation. Abortion had been legal in the state up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The high court鈥檚 order gave a decisive win to Iowa鈥檚 Republican leaders after years of legislative and legal battles.
Iowa will join more than a dozen states where abortion access has been sharply curbed in the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Currently, have near-total bans at all stages of pregnancy and three states 鈥� Iowa will make four 鈥� ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion access stands to be a major issue in the 2024 election, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris aims to lead the Democratic Party. Harris has said 鈥渆verything is at stake鈥� with reproductive health in November鈥檚 election and has traveled across the country to draw attention to the issue, including in Des Moines roughly a year ago after the stricter law initially passed.
Iowa鈥檚 Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law in a special session last July, and a by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic. The law was in effect for just a few days before a district court judge temporarily blocked it.
鈥淭oday is a victory for life,鈥� Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement Tuesday.
There are limited circumstances under the Iowa law that would allow for abortion after six weeks of pregnancy: rape, if reported to law enforcement or a health provider within 45 days; incest, if reported within 145 days; if the fetus has an abnormality 鈥渋ncompatible with life鈥�; or if the pregnancy endangers the mother鈥檚 life.
The state鈥檚 medical board defined earlier this year, though the rules do not outline how the board would determine noncompliance or what the appropriate disciplinary action might be.
Representatives from Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic have indicated they will continue to provide abortion services in Iowa in compliance with the law when it takes effect.
Before that point, Planned Parenthood said Tuesday it will continue to operate 鈥渦nder current protocols," and take as many appointment as possible.
In June, Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, also said the organization has spent the last year making 鈥渓ong-term regional investments鈥� in preparation for this outcome, including expanding facilities in Mankato, Minnesota, and in Omaha, Nebraska, 鈥� both cities near Iowa.
Planned Parenthood in Iowa has ceased abortion services in two Iowa cities in the last year, including in Des Moines. Two of the state鈥檚 five Planned Parenthood clinics offer in-person abortion services, and three offer abortion through medication.
People in and around Des Moines seeking an abortion have been traveling about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north to Ames.
Alex Sharp, who manages the Ames facility, said conversations with patients will be difficult once the ban lifts and staff will be empathetic. There is 鈥渢he sensitivity of being told you鈥檙e too far along and it鈥檚 too late now: 鈥榊ou have to, you know, leave and go somewhere else and you have to travel and you鈥檙e going to have to miss work again.鈥欌��
鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 know this happened,鈥� Sharp said of the stricter law.
Sarah Traxler, the Planned Parenthood region鈥檚 medical director, said a law prohibiting abortions after cardiac activity can be detected is 鈥渢ricky.鈥�
Since six weeks is approximate, Traxler said, 鈥渨e don鈥檛 necessarily have plans to cut people off at a certain gestational age.鈥�
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 44% of the 3,761 total abortions in Iowa in 2021 occurred at or before six weeks鈥� gestational age. Only six abortions were at the 21-week mark or later.
In other states with bans that kick in around six weeks into pregnancy, the number of abortions has fallen by about half.
In its 4-3 opinion last month, Iowa Supreme Court鈥檚 majority determined that abortion laws in Iowa are to be judged by whether the government has a legitimate interest in restricting the procedure, rather than whether there is too heavy a burden for people seeking abortion access.
The decision was celebrated by Iowa鈥檚 conservative leaders who have advocated for decades against access to abortion. Chuck Hurley, vice president of the conservative Christian organization, The Family Leader, said 鈥渂ad judges for over 51 years鈥� allowed access to abortion in Iowa.
While Hurley celebrated the victory and the 鈥済reat strides in protecting the most innocent among us,鈥� he alluded to the work still to be done.
鈥淔ourteen states now protect babies from the moment of conception,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd Iowa should be the 15th.鈥�
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Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvihill contributed from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Hannah Fingerhut, The Associated Press
