Stricter Abortion Ban Takes Effect in Iowa

A ban on abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy took effect in Iowa on Monday, a month after the state's top court upheld the ban in a 4-3 decision. Abortion had previously been legal in the state up to around 22 weeks, the Guardian reports. The "fetal heartbeat" law, passed by the Republican-dominated state legislature last year, allows exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergencies. Planned Parenthood estimates it will reduce the number of abortions performed in the state by up to 97%.

• A victory for GOP lawmakers. Republican lawmakers had been seeking to enact in such a law for years, the AP reports. With Iowa's, four states now have bans on abortions after six weeks. Another 14 states have brought in near-total abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

• The law. The Iowa law prohibits abortions once there's what lawmakers call a "detectable fetal heartbeat," the BBC reports. Three abortion clinics in two Iowa cities plan to continue offering abortions before cardiac activity is detected, reports the AP. Sarah Traxler, Planned Parenthood North Central States' chief medical officer, said that six weeks is approximate and that the organizations doesn't "necessarily have plans to cut people off at a certain gestational age." At six weeks, many women don't know they are pregnant.
• Opposing statements. Traxler called Monday a "devastating and dark" moment in Iowa history. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called it a "historic day" for the state, per the AP.
• Many patients were unaware of impending ban. Alex Sharp, senior health center manager for Iowa's Planned Parenthood clinics, says the clinics tried to see as many patients as possible last week, the Des Moines Register reports. Sharp says they found that many patients originally due to be seen this week were unaware of the ban. She says around 30% were unable to organize child care or time off work in time to come to an earlier appointment.

• Other options. Before the law took effect, many people seeking abortions had traveled to Iowa from Missouri and Nebraska. Now, Iowans seeking abortions are likely to travel to Illinois or Minnesota, though not all women have the means to do so. "Abortion bans do not ban abortion for everyone," said Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, per the Register. "They ban abortion for people who do not have the means or the opportunity to travel."
• Harris launches "week of action." Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign launched a "Fight for Reproductive Freedom Week of Action" on Monday, with events planned in battleground states, the Hill reports. "So today, Iowa put in place a Trump abortion ban, which makes Iowa the 22nd state in our country to have a Trump abortion ban," she said in a video posted on X. "What this means is that one in three women of reproductive age in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. So what we need to do is vote."

(More abortion stories.)