DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) 鈥 Iowa鈥檚 strict abortion law went into effect Monday, immediately prohibiting most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.
Iowa鈥檚 Republican leaders have been seeking the law for years and gained momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Iowa Supreme Court also issued a ruling that year saying there was no constitutional right to abortion in the state.
鈥淭here is no right more sacred than life," Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in June. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.鈥
Now, , four states ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and 14 states have near-total bans at all stages of pregnancy.
The law in Iowa and other restrictions across the country will be a focus of the 2024 election, with Republicans celebrating their successes and Democrats criticizing them as an attack on women's rights. Vice President Kamala Harris, who stands to become the Democratic presidential nominee, has said this November.
The Harris campaign released a video Monday to draw attention to the issue as Iowa's law becomes enforceable.
鈥淲hat we need to do is vote,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen I am President of the United States, I will sign into law the protections for reproductive freedom.鈥
Iowa鈥檚 abortion providers have been , shoring up abortion access in neighboring states and drawing on the lessons learned where bans went into effect more swiftly.
They have said they will continue to operate in Iowa in compliance with the new law, but Sarah Traxler, Planned Parenthood North Central States鈥 chief medical officer, called it a 鈥渄evastating and dark鈥 moment in state history.
The Iowa law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in a special session last year, but by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic. The law was in effect for just a few days before a district judge temporarily blocked it, a decision Gov. Kim Reynolds appealed to the state's high court.
The Iowa Supreme Court's reiterated that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold be lifted. A district court judge last week said the hold would be lifted Monday morning.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called it a 鈥渉istoric day for Iowa.鈥
The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is roughly at six weeks. There are limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality or when the life of the mother is in danger. Previously, abortion in Iowa was legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The state鈥檚 medical board defined for adhering to the law earlier this year, though the rules do not outline disciplinary action or how the board would determine noncompliance.
Three abortion clinics in two Iowa cities offer in-person abortion procedures and will continue to do so before cardiac activity is detected, according to representatives from Planned Parenthood and Emma Goldman.
A law based on cardiac activity is 鈥渢ricky," said Traxler, of Planned Parenthood. Since six weeks is approximate, 鈥渨e don鈥檛 necessarily have plans to cut people off at a certain gestational age," she said.
For over a year, the region's Planned Parenthood also has been making investments within and outside of Iowa to prepare for the restrictions. Like in other regions, it has dedicated staff to work the phones, helping people find appointments, connect with other providers, arrange travel plans or financial assistance.
It also is remodeling its center in Omaha, Nebraska, just over the state line and newly offers medication abortion in Mankato, about an hour鈥檚 drive from Iowa.
But providers fear the drastic change in access will exacerbate health inequalities for Iowa's women of color and residents from low-income households.
Across the country, the status of abortion has changed constantly since the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Health Organization, with trigger laws immediately going into effect, states passing new restrictions or expansions of access and court battles putting those on hold.
In states with restrictions, the main abortion options are getting or and , vastly in states with more access.
