An Iowa judge has ruled that the state’s six-week abortion ban will take effect on July 29, 2023. This “fetal heartbeat” law prohibits abortion after cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound, typically around six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for certain circumstances. The law was passed in a special session in 2023 and was recently ruled constitutional by the Iowa Supreme Court.
After the law goes into effect, it is estimated that the majority of abortions performed in Iowa will be banned. The Iowa Board of Medicine will enforce the law, but specific penalties for violating it are still unclear. Doctors have raised concerns about the lack of clarity in the enforcement guidelines, especially in cases of a medical emergency. Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers have indicated they will continue to offer services under the ban and may challenge the law further on constitutional grounds not addressed in the recent Supreme Court decision.
This law will make Iowa one of more than a dozen states with near-complete abortion bans, following a trend of increased abortion restrictions across the country. Calls for the protection of women’s reproductive rights have been met with concerns about the potential impact on access to healthcare, especially in cases where a patient’s life may be at risk. Advocates for reproductive rights continue to push back against restrictions that they argue disproportionately affect women and their ability to make informed choices about their own bodies.
Photo credit
www.usatoday.com