The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a law saying the state can ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The law prohibits abortion after early signs of cardiac activity are detected in the fetus or embryo, except in cases of rape, incest, fetal malformation and when the mother’s life is in danger.
Friday’s decision reverses temporary legal hurdlewhich was originally passed by the state Legislature in July 2023.
In a 4-3 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court dismissed Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit, finding that the law did not violate the basic rights of citizens under the state constitution.
The decision, posted on the court’s website, held that laws restricting abortion are unconstitutional only if the state cannot prove a “reasonable basis” for the law.
The law is “reasonably related to the state’s legitimate interest in protecting unborn life,” Justice Matthew McDermott wrote in the majority opinion.
Chief Justice Susan Christensen wrote in her dissent that the majority “denied Iowa women their bodily autonomy” and relied heavily on “a history of male dominance in the 1800s and tradition,” while ignoring the progress made in women’s rights since then.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who originally signed the 2023 law, welcomed the decision in a statement.
“There is no right more sacred than life, and there is no right more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn child,” she said. She praised the court for upholding “the will of the people of Iowa.”
The state previously banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the Iowa Capital Express reported.
Iowa is the latest state to tighten abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which struck down abortion protections nationwide.
Since then, various abortion laws have emerged as more conservative states have restricted abortion procedures.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that as of June, 14 U.S. states had complete abortion bans, including Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas.
