DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed a law banning most abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, or at around six weeks of pregnancy, marking the strictest abortion regulation in the nation – but setting the state up for a lengthy court fight.
The Republican governor signed the legislation in her formal office at the state Capitol as protesters gathered outside chanting, “My body, my choice!” Reynolds acknowledged that the new law would likely face litigation that could put it on hold, but said: “This is bigger than just a law, this is about life, and I’m not going to back down.”
Reynolds signed the law surrounded by children from a local Christian school and children related to supporters.
The ban, set to take effect on July 1, has moved Iowa to the front of a push among conservative statehouses jockeying to enact new restrictions on the medical procedure. Mississippi enacted a law earlier this year banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but it’s on hold after a court challenge.
The Iowa law provides exemptions for abortions during a later pregnancy stage to save a pregnant woman’s life or in some cases of rape and incest. A woman would have to report a rape within 45 days to law enforcement or a physician, and incest would need to be reported within 140 days. Another provision prohibits some uses of fetal tissue, with exemptions for research.