DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s strict abortion law went into effect Monday, immediately banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.
Iowa Republican leaders have been pushing for the law for years, and gained momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Iowa Supreme Court also ruled that year that there was no constitutional right to abortion in the state.
“There is no right more sacred than life,” the Republican governor said. Kim Reynolds said in June. “I am pleased that the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the will of the people of Iowa.”
Currently, four states in the US ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and 14 states have a near-total ban at all stages of pregnancy.
Iowa abortion clinics are opposing the new law, but they are preparing for it. They are improving abortion access in neighboring states and learning from the situation where bans went into effect more quickly.
They have said they will continue to operate in Iowa in accordance with the new law, but Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States, called it a “devastating and dark” moment in the state’s history.
The law passed the Republican-controlled Legislature in a special session last year, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic immediately filed a legal challenge. The law was in effect for only a few days before a district judge temporarily blocked it, a decision that Gov. Kim Reynolds appealed to the state Supreme Court.
The Iowa Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling in June reiterated that there is no constitutional right to abortion in the state and ordered the blockade lifted. A district judge said last week that the blockade would be lifted Monday morning.
The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is about six weeks. There are limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the mother’s life is in danger. Previously, abortion was legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The state medical board earlier this year established standards for compliance with the law. However, the rules do not outline disciplinary action or how the board would determine noncompliance.
According to Planned Parenthood representatives and Emma Goldman, three abortion clinics in two Iowa cities are offering in-person abortion procedures and will continue to do so until cardiac activity is detected.
A law based on heart activity is “tricky,” said Traxler of Planned Parenthood. Because six weeks is approximate, “we don’t necessarily have plans to cut people off at a certain gestational age,” she said.
For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has been investing in the region, both inside and outside Iowa, to prepare for the restrictions. As in other regions, it has dedicated staff to answer the phone, help people find appointments, connect with other providers, arrange travel plans or financial assistance.
Also, the center in Omaha, Nebraska, just across the state line, is being renovated and now offers medication abortions in Mankato, Minnesota, about an hour’s drive from Iowa.
However, health care providers fear the dramatic change in access will widen health disparities for Iowa women of color and residents from low-income families.
Across the country, the status of abortion has been in flux since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For example, laws banning abortion have gone into effect immediately, states have enacted new restrictions or expansions on abortion access, and lawsuits have stayed those cases.
In states with restrictions, the main abortion options are obtaining pills through telehealth or underground networks and travel. This creates a huge increase in demand in states with more access.
