The Iowa Legislature held a special session Tuesday night during which lawmakers passed a bill restricting abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
The bill has been sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) who plans to sign it on Friday, the same day she’s scheduled to speak at the Family Leadership Summit hosted by evangelical Christian conservative Bob Vander Plaats.
The bill’s passage comes less than a month after the state’s Supreme Court deadlocked on whether a lower court’s injunction of the six-week ban should be dissolved.
At the time, Reynolds sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, which left abortion legal in the state, and called for the special session of Iowa’s Republican-controlled legislature.
“The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass the same law they did in 2018, and today they have a clear answer,” Gov. Reynolds said Tuesday.
Iowa joins at least seven other states that have passed so-called “heartbeat bills,” banning abortion after six weeks: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Texas.
“I believe the pro-life movement is the most important human rights cause of our time,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Not only will I continue to fight against the inhumanity of abortion, but I will also remain committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, promoting fatherhood and parenting, and continuing policies that encourage strong families.”
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, meanwhile, tweeted in response to the bill’s passage, “We are committed to holding our elected officials accountable for every vote they take that erodes our reproductive freedom and access to health care.”
The organization thanked demonstrators who showed up at the state Capitol to protest the vote on the abortion ban, adding, “This fight is far from over. Together we will find ways to reinstate and protect care. Keep watch for future actions and updates.”
