Iowa Republicans passed a bill Tuesday night to ban most abortions after six weeks, a restrictive measure that would quickly reshape the legal landscape for reproductive rights in a key early voting state.
The measure passed shortly after 11 pm local time, ending a marathon day-long special legislative session that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds convened for the sole purpose of enacting “pro-life” legislation.
The bill now goes to Reynolds for his signature. He has not yet said whether he would sign it, but last week, in announcing the session, he called the «pro-life movement» the «most important human rights cause of our time» and said state lawmakers «would not rest.» until the unborn are protected by law.”
If not blocked by a court, the law would take effect immediately after Reynolds signs it, potentially prompting abortion clinics in the state, as well as women with appointments scheduled in the coming days and weeks, to rush . As it currently stands, abortion remains legal in Iowa until the 20th week of pregnancy.
The invoice Passed by Republicans, who control the Legislature, it would ban abortions in the sixth week of pregnancy, or when, in some cases, the fetal pulse can first be heard through an ultrasound. The measure includes exceptions for the life of the woman, miscarriages and fetal anomalies considered by a doctor «incompatible with life.»
The bill also includes exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest. For those exceptions to apply, the rape must have been reported to law enforcement or a «public or private health agency,» including a family doctor, within 45 days, and the violation must have been reported. incest to any of those officials or entities within a period of 45 days. 140 days
Passage Tuesday was the product of a rapid, Special 15-hour legislative session that featured hours of passionate pleas from legislators and members of the public, both in support and opposition to the measure.
“Abortion is standard, safe, lifesaving health care,” Connie Ryan, executive director of the nonprofit Iowa Interfaith Alliance, said in a session reserved for members of the public to discuss the measure. «Iowa is not a theocracy.»
Democratic lawmakers and reproductive rights groups celebrated big protests at the state Capitol throughout the day, with audible chants during several committee sessions where the bill was discussed.
“It’s pretty demoralizing for those of us who care for women to have the potential to lose the ability to practice full-spectrum care,” said Dr. Amy Bingaman, a Des Moines-based obstetrician-gynecologist. Bingaman said many doctors like her will be forced to consider leaving the state if they can no longer legally administer reproductive health care.
Protesters for abortion rights were seen at times clashing with Iowans who came out in support of the ban.
«Life is precious,» said Vicki Miller, who supported the ban. «The Bible tells us that… as soon as that child is conceived as a child, he is alive.»
The new ban will surely affect the 2024 presidential race.
With Iowa set to be the first state to hold Republican caucuses, Republican candidates already sweeping the state will surely be asked to weigh in on the ban. Republicans have often struggled to speak to voters about abortion rights in the year since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling struck down Roe v. Wade. However, support for stricter abortion restrictions remains popular among conservative evangelical Christians, a key voting bloc in the state’s Republican caucuses.
but voting in the stateas well as nationally, it finds that most voters support people having the right to abortion, which could make any candidate’s support for a strict abortion ban a political vulnerability among general election voters.
Keeping the issue in the spotlight in the state will be a summit that a prominent Christian conservative group will hold in Des Moines this week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are some of the candidates. scheduled to attend.
Ramaswamy, who went to the Capitol building to support the session, confronted the hecklers during an interview.
«I think it’s a historic occasion,» Ramaswamy said, adding that it was «a celebration of the pro-life position that I share.»
With Republicans in firm control of both houses of the Legislature, Democrats lacked the numbers and tools to delay passage of the bill beyond the overnight window lawmakers set aside for debate and voting.
Reproductive rights groups, including Planned Parenthood, have suggested they could challenge the move in court.
The latest bill is almost identical to a six-week ban that remains permanently blocked following an Iowa Supreme Court ruling last month. He split decision effectively allowed a lower court ruling to block the law’s enforcement.
If the new law is enacted after Reynolds signs it, it will likely face some of the same legal hurdles, but the outcome could be different with a full state Supreme Court issuing a decision.
state supreme court split judgment it was a strictly tailored decision based largely on procedural grounds, meaning it remains possible, if not likely, that a full seven-member court could find a legal consensus on a new ban.
One of the court’s seven judges, Dana Oxley, a Reynolds appointee, recused herself because her former law firm represented an abortion clinic that was a plaintiff in the original case.
Last month’s split decision featured three justices who suggested they might support a legal standard, known as «rational basis,» that could allow a six-week abortion limit to be upheld in the future.
If Oxley were part of the next decision, it would most likely result in a clear and legally binding majority on a six-week ban.