DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa lawmakers during a special session Tuesday passed their latest attempt to restrict abortion access in the state.
Back in 2017, the Iowa Legislature's Human Resources Committee began the process of reopening discussions about abortion, proposing the procedures cannot be conducted on a pregnant woman when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Senate File 359, which was signed into law in 2018, also said the woman must carry the fetus to birth unless there is a present medical emergency.
This legislation was put on hold via injunction by an Iowa court in 2018, a move that remained in place following an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that was a 3-3 split decision last month. In 2022, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she would turn to the courts instead of calling a special session to hold a divisive abortion debate and vote, according to the Associated Press.
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the statute previously allowing abortions across the nation.
This brings Iowans to July 2023, when Reynolds called the legislature to a special session to move forward with an updated version of the 2018 law.
In the 2023 bill, more exemptions have been added.
In cases of rape, the crime must be reported within 45 days to law enforcement, and within 140 days in cases of incest, prior to seeking medical care. The bill also allows abortion in cases of a miscarriage or when the fetus is declared incompatible with life by a physician.
According to a 2020 report from the March of Dimes, 37% of women in the U.S. live in a maternity care desert, and have limited access to maternal care providers. Abortion advocates say the passing of this bill could alter the resources available to Iowans who can get pregnant and health care providers across the state, driving abortion-seekers across state lines to nearby Minnesota or Illinois to receive care.
Reynolds is set to sign the bill Friday, which has been preemptively challenged in court.
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