Iowa law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy takes effect Monday

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FILE-Demonstrators rally in support of abortion rights at the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, April 15, 2023. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

An Iowa judge rules that the state's strict abortion law will take effect on Monday, July 29. The legislation prevents most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

In 2023, the law was passed, but a judged blocked it from being required. The Iowa Supreme Court stated in June that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold to be lifted.

This translated into the district court judge's decision ordering the law to go into effect on July 29 at 8:00 a.m. Central time.

"Today is a victory for life," Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, there are limited circumstances under the Iowa legislation that would allow for abortion after six weeks of pregnancy: rape, if reported to law enforcement or a health provider within 45 days; incest, if reported within 145 days; if the fetus has an abnormality "incompatible with life"; or if the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life.

Abortion access will be a major issue in the 2024 election, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris aims to lead the Democratic Party. Harris has said "everything is at stake" for reproductive health in November’s election and has traveled across the country to draw attention to the issue, including in Des Moines roughly a year ago after the stricter law initially passed, per the AP.

Iowa will join more than a dozen states where abortion access has been curbed in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Currently, 14 states have near-total bans at all stages of pregnancy and three states ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, the AP noted.

Planned Parenthood in Iowa has stopped abortion services in two Iowa cities in 2023, including in Des Moines. Two of the state’s five Planned Parenthood clinics offer in-person abortion services, and three offer abortion through medication.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.