A coalition of abortion rights advocates, including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, launched a legal challenge against Iowa's newly enacted six-week abortion ban mere hours after its passage. The law, slated to take effect upon Governor Kim Reynolds' signature, prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother's life.
Ruth Richardson, head of Planned Parenthood North Central States, condemned the law as an intrusion on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, accusing politicians of prioritizing a narrow political agenda over Iowans' healthcare decisions.
"These out-of-touch politicians have inserted themselves into the exam rooms of Iowans."
— Ruth Richardson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States
Planned Parenthood signage is displayed outside of a health care clinic in Inglewood, California on May 16, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The plaintiffs argue that the law's exceptions are inadequate and will effectively deny abortion access to the majority of Iowans. They point to the Iowa Supreme Court's prior rejection of a similar 2018 law as precedent for blocking the current legislation. Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, emphasized the importance of individual autonomy in reproductive decisions, calling the restriction of such freedoms "unconscionable."
Pro-abortion activist block members from the The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral as they pray in front of a planned parenthood clinic in New York, on July 1, 2023. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
The new law's passage follows a special legislative session convened by Governor Reynolds. She has expressed strong support for the ban, framing it as a vital component of the pro-life movement. The lawsuit represents the latest battle in the ongoing legal and political conflict surrounding abortion access in Iowa and across the nation.
Iowa's Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds called a special session to pass the abortion ban last week. She is expected to sign the bill into law on Friday, July 14. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
