A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday by abortion providers and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenging Iowa’s recently passed bill that seeks to ban most abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, the Emma Goldman Clinic, and the ACLU of Iowa wasted no time and filed the challenge in district court less than 12 hours after the bill was passed.
Unless the court intervenes, the bill will immediately go into effect upon Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signing it on Friday.
Following an all-day special session, the state legislature approved the ban late Tuesday night. The bill would prohibit all abortions once an ultrasound can detect fetal cardiac activity, typically around six weeks of gestation, which is often before individuals are even aware they are pregnant.
The bill includes limited exceptions for the life and health of the pregnant individual, as well as exceptions for certain survivors of rape and incest, provided the cases are reported to law enforcement authorities. It also allows exceptions for fetal abnormalities that are “incompatible with life.”
The lawsuit argues that by banning the majority of abortions, the bill infringes on Iowans’ constitutional rights to abortion and substantive due process.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the ban violates their rights to equal protection under the state Constitution by specifically targeting abortion while treating other medical procedures differently, thereby discriminating against women based on their sex.
The lawsuit requests a temporary injunction to block the policy from taking effect until arguments regarding its constitutionality can be heard.
“If this abortion ban goes into effect, it will disproportionately affect patients’ access to essential abortion care, particularly those who already face systematic inequalities. Hundreds of Iowans will be affected within a matter of weeks,” stated Ruth Richardson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States. “We will not stand idly by and will fight tirelessly to oppose this abortion ban and restore the rights of Iowans.”
Last month, the state Supreme Court reached a deadlock of 3-3 on whether to overturn a lower court’s injunction against a similar 2018 version of the law. This maintained the status quo and returned the issue to the legislature.
Reynolds has announced her intention to sign the bill into law on Friday at the Family Leadership Summit, where former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is scheduled to interview several 2024 GOP candidates, including Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
