(LifeSiteNews) — Iowa lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve a six-week abortion ban that was previously blocked by the state’s Supreme Court. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to sign the bill into law this week.
Late Tuesday night, the legislature voted in favor of HB 732, approving the measure 32-17. The legislation requires that an ultrasound be performed and, once a heartbeat is detected, abortion is prohibited.
Exceptions to the ban include cases of rape and incest that have been properly reported to law enforcement, a doctor declares that developmental abnormality makes the baby “incompatible with life” or an abortion is deemed “necessary” to save the mother from death or serious injury. The medical emergency caveat does not include mental health issues or conditions.
“Today, the Iowa legislature once again voted to protect life and end abortion at a heartbeat, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” Reynolds said in a July 11 press release. “The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed.”
“As a pro-life Governor, I am also committed to continuing policies to support women in planning for motherhood, promote the importance of fatherhood, and encourage strong families. Our state and country will be stronger because of it.”
The decision also concludes a special session called by the governor with the intention of passing a law to provide further protections for the unborn. Reynolds plans to sign HB 732 into law on Friday, July 14.
The decision comes just under a month after the Iowa Supreme Court maintained a block of the law, which was stalled in court in 2019. At the time, Reynolds said that “there is no right more sacred than life” and promised that “we are reviewing our options in preparation for continuing the fight.”
Reynolds has previously supported and signed other legislation to protect children and defend the family, including a ban on child “sex changes” and men in women’s bathrooms and increased parental rights in education. Pro-life pregnancy centers in Iowa are also involved in a Dobbs Donation Drive launched by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who continues the pro-life mission in post-Roe America by supporting men and women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Heartbeat bans are also currently blocked in court in Ohio and South Carolina. Other legislation restricting the crime has been stalled in Utah and Montana while a total ban on abortions — with exceptions for rape, incest, as deemed “necessary” to save the mother’s life and if the baby has a fatal abnormality — is blocked in Wyoming.
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