Iowa restricts abortion to six weeks

Yesterday Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) signed a new law restricting abortion in Iowa to six weeks, with some usual exceptions. Thus Iowa has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, short of an outright ban.

The new Iowa law

This new law limits abortion to the first six weeks, subject to a 24-hour waiting period. Doctors must offer a fetal ultrasound before an abortion can occur even then. But the law makes exceptions for rape, incest, maternal health, and fetal abnormalities that doctors reasonably believe will be lethal.

The Iowa legislature passed the new law Tuesday, in a special session lasting 14 hours.

Gov. Reynolds called the special session after losing a last-ditch bid to reinstate another law under court-ordered injunction. The Iowa Supreme Court, last month, split 3-3 on a petition to overrule a lower-court ruling that enjoined a “heartbeat law.” Such a law forbids abortion once “cardiac activity” is detected or detectable. Justice Thomas Waterman, writing for the court, refused to “legislate from the bench” to reinstate a law he called “moribund when it was enacted.” The Iowa legislature passed the earlier law in 2018, long before the Dobbs decision that lets such laws take effect.

In short, the Iowa Supreme Court challenged Gov. Reynolds to seek a new law. She did, by calling the special session that passed this new law this week. Now that she has signed it, it takes immediate force and effect.

Republican Presidential candidates heaped praise on the new law:

Mr. Ramaswamy even personally lobbied for passage of the new law in Iowa’s capitol. Other Presidential candidates weighed in as well:

And Mike Pence:

I think life is winning in Iowa because of the principled leadership of Republicans in the House and Senate and Gov. Kim Reynolds. And as a pro-life American, I’m just grateful for their stand for the unborn.

Reportedly, a Pence organization spent $25,000 in ads and texts in support.

And the critics

Before this law took effect, Iowa restricted abortion to the first twenty weeks. Given that, Planned Parenthood North Central States announced they would start referring abortion seekers out-of-State if they were more than six weeks pregnant. The new law puts Iowa on this abortion map as a restrictive State. Minnesota and Illinois, which allow abortion until fetal viability, border Iowa. Of the other border states, Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin ban the procedure except to preserve maternal health. Nebraska has a twelve-week limit.

But Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, the Emma Goldman Clinic and the ACLU of Iowa all joined in a lawsuit seeking an injunction. They filed it in Polk County, Iowa – the same court that enjoined the 2018 law. Clearly these plaintiffs are arguing a violation of their State constitution, not the U.S. constitution.

As expected, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the new law. But she did not mention Vice-President Kamala Harris’ explicit call to “reduce population” in order to fight pollution.

(The official White House transcript repeats the phrase “reduce population,” but uses strikeout to substitute the word “pollution” for that second word.)

When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population [pollution], more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water. (Applause.)

On June 22, ABC News posted this “Dobbs Divide” story showing relative increases and declines in abortions one year after Dobbs.