Today is a momentous day for Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court in the Planned Parenthood vs. Reynolds court case corrected the egregious 2018 ruling declaring a fundamental right to abortion in our Iowa Constitution. The opinion issued today stated,
“and thus reject the proposition that there is a fundamental right to abortion in Iowa’s Constitution.”
In the 2020 session, the legislature passed a 24-hour waiting period before obtaining an abortion law. That law was challenged by Planned Parenthood, and we heard oral arguments from the Iowa Supreme Court several months ago. In addition to this law, the state asked that the 2018 ruling that declared a fundamental right to abortion in our Iowa Constitution be corrected.
It was a victory in today’s ruling and we are incredibly thankful to our legislators for bringing this bill forward, the attorneys representing this case, and all those who filed an amicus brief in our favor. This is a win for families today and now will finally put creating law into the hands of our duly elected legislators. They will now be able to pass common-sense regulations regarding abortion to ensure the safety and well-being of our Iowa citizens.
The ruling today will now send the 24-hour waiting period before obtaining an abortion back to the lower courts for further proceedings.
We will continue to work. But with this ruling, it has given us the hope and encouragement and renewed motivation to fight harder and work more.
Iowans for LIFE, now Pulse Life Advocates, has been working for 50 years in Iowa. As the longest-
standing, state-wide, pro-life organization in Iowa, we will move forward with passing The Protect Life Amendment next legislative session, working toward reinstating our Heartbeat Law and other measures until we see an end to abortion in our state.
