The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of the state’s heartbeat law and ordered a lower court to lift a temporary injunction against the ban.
The Gateway Pundit reports that in 2023, Iowa Republicans passed legislation banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The bill, which bans abortions after a baby’s heartbeat is detected, passed during the special session just after 11 p.m.
Under the bill, exceptions would be made for abortions to save the mother’s life and for fetal malformations that a doctor deems “incompatible with life.”
There are exceptions for cases of rape and incest, but rape must be reported to law enforcement or a physician within 45 days, and in the case of incest, within 140 days.
The bill was signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Life website reports:
Iowa has had such a law since 2018, but the state’s Supreme Court deadlocked over its legality, voting 3-3 to continue to block enforcement. Three people believe the law should be allowed to go into effect now that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law Roe v. Wade The previous year, the trio argued that allowing an act of the Legislature to take effect would, as Justice Thomas Waterman asserted, “bypass the Legislature” and should require “legislative reformulation” to “ensure[e] Current legislation mostly supports statutory restrictions on freedoms.
In response, Reynolds appealed the ruling and convened a special legislative session to pass the heartbeat ban again, providing the court with a “clear answer” as to the Legislature’s wishes and declaring that it represents “the voice of Iowa and its democratic elections.” They can no longer be ignored, and justice for the unborn can no longer be delayed.
this des moines register Justice Matthew McDermott wrote in a narrow 4-3 vote that abortion restrictions are now constitutional as long as the state provides a “reasonable basis” for them, and that under this new standard, challengers “cannot Demonstrate the likelihood of successful abortion.” The advantages. “
“We therefore hold that Planned Parenthood is not entitled to a temporary injunction to prevent enforcement of the fetal heartbeat regulations,” the court ruled. “We reverse the order granting the temporary injunction and remand the case to the district court to lift the temporary injunction and proceed. Further proceedings.”
Governor Reynolds responded to the ruling by saying, “No rights are more sacred than life, and no rights are more sacred than innocent unborn children who deserve our strongest protections.”
“Iowa voters have made their views clear through their elected representatives, whether in 2018, when the original heartbeat bill was passed and signed into law, or in 2023, when it was passed by an even wider margin. Passed. I am pleased that the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the will of the people of Iowa.
“With the Heartbeat Bill finally becoming law, we are deeply committed to supporting women planning for motherhood and promoting fatherhood and its importance in parenting.”
