Iowa's legislative body is set to convene on Tuesday for a special session dedicated solely to the discussion of abortion restrictions. Republican lawmakers are anticipated to introduce and advocate for a new bill that would ban abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. The day's agenda includes a series of committee hearings and floor debates in both legislative chambers, with voting expected to continue late into the night. Advocates on both sides of the issue are planning demonstrations at the capitol building throughout the day.
Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, called for this special session following the Iowa Supreme Court's decision not to reinstate a 2018 law, which she had signed, that contained nearly identical provisions to the proposed legislation. Currently, abortion is legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley expressed confidence in their position, stating, "Iowans know we will defend life and have grown our majority."
Mirroring the 2018 law, the current draft legislation would prohibit abortions once cardiac activity is detectable, typically around six weeks of pregnancy—often before many women are aware of their pregnancy. The bill includes exceptions for specific circumstances, such as rape (if reported to law enforcement or a healthcare provider within 45 days), incest (if reported within 145 days), a fetal abnormality incompatible with life, and situations where the pregnancy endangers the woman's life.
The Iowa State Capitol building on October 9, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A district court deemed the 2018 law unconstitutional in 2019, citing decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Iowa Supreme Court that upheld a woman's fundamental right to an abortion. After both courts overturned those rulings in the past year, Governor Reynolds attempted to reinstate the 2018 law. However, the state's highest court reached a deadlock last month without addressing the core arguments concerning the abortion ban, resulting in the law remaining permanently blocked. This impasse led Governor Reynolds to reconvene the legislature.
The draft legislation, released on Friday, suggests that Republican legislators intend for it to take effect immediately upon the governor's signature. Legal challenges to the law are anticipated to follow swiftly. Planned Parenthood North Central States has indicated its readiness to file such a challenge. In the meantime, the organization plans to refer patients seeking abortions in the coming weeks to out-of-state providers while continuing to provide care to patients before cardiac activity is detected. "We will keep seeing those patients and fight our way back to the Iowa Supreme Court when this law goes into effect," stated Chief Medical Officer Sarah Traxler.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, which returned the authority over abortion law to individual states, numerous Republican-led states have significantly restricted abortion access. Over a dozen states now have bans with limited exceptions, and Georgia prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected. Similar restrictions are in place in several other states but are currently on hold pending court decisions.
