Iowa Abortion Ban Will Take Effect on Monday
U.S. abortion desert grows as Iowa becomes the 18th state to ban abortion either entirely or at six weeks of pregnancy
7.26.24 (PRESS STATEMENT) – On Monday, July 29, an extreme six-week abortion ban is set to take effect in Iowa. This will mean that 18 states now ban abortion entirely or as early as six weeks—before many know they are pregnant. Many other states have banned abortion at various stages of pregnancy. Doctors who violate Iowa’s ban could be charged with a class D felony, fines, and loss of their medical license.
Until now, abortion has been available in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy. The ban, which was passed last year but blocked from enforcement, will now be implemented after a radical decision by the Iowa Supreme Court. While the law claims to make exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal conditions and the life of the pregnant person, such exceptions have not worked in other states where abortion is banned.
Statement from Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“Iowa will become the 18th state with a total or near-total abortion ban. We already know how Iowans will be hurt because it’s currently a grim reality in vast swaths of the South and Mid-West. Patients will be forced to travel hundreds of miles from home to find abortion care, if they have the means to do so. Others will be forced to carry pregnancies to term, regardless of their determination of what is best for their lives, health, families, and future. People with dire pregnancy complications will be turned away from hospitals until they are crashing. The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade has made it dangerous to be pregnant in every state that bans abortion. Congress must right this wrong and pass federal legislation to protect abortion access nationwide.”
Learn more with the Center for Reproductive Rights’ After Roe Fell tracker.
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