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DES MOINES (LifeSiteNews) – An Iowa law requiring women wait 24 hours for an abortion is now enforceable across the state.
On June 17, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a 2018 decision that found a “fundamental right” to abortion in the Iowa Constitution and allowed the 24-hour waiting period law to take effect, as reported by Iowa Public Radio.
“The 24-hour waiting period means that before a woman can seek an abortion in the state of Iowa, (she) must be informed about some of the consequences of abortion, some of the potential side effects and thinking about what it would mean to carry through a pregnancy,” University of Iowa Law Professor Derek Muller said.
“Then after that informational meeting, there has to be at least a 24-hour waiting period before seeking out the abortion,” he added.
The law, which is enforceable as of Monday, requires that women receive an ultrasound, have the choice to see a picture of their child in the womb, hear a description of the image, and hear their baby’s heartbeat.
The second appointment to abort the baby must be scheduled at least 24 hours later. Currently, Iowa bans abortions after 20 weeks, with exceptions to save a mother’s life.
The 2020 waiting period law was struck down last year, as District Court Judge Mitchell Turner ruled it was unconstitutional, citing pro-abortion judicial precedent and state legislative procedure.
Iowa Supreme Court refused Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to rehear the case earlier this month, but sent it back to Turner to consider a new standard of review for Iowa’s abortion regulations, according to Iowa Public Radio.
According to a press release, Reynolds also plans to “request that the Iowa courts lift the injunction against enforcement of Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law.”
In 2018, Iowa Supreme Court declared that there is a “right” to abortion in the state constitution, blocking many pro-life laws in the state. However, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the decision last month, ruling that there is no “right to an abortion” in the Iowa Constitution.
Many U.S. states have outlawed abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, largely owing to “trigger laws” set up in anticipation of the historic decision.
Approximately ten states have totally banned abortions while many others have drastically limited access to abortion as more states follow suit. As LifeSiteNews reported, clinics have ceased abortions in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Abortions initially stopped in Kentucky, Utah, and Louisiana but have resumed due to recent court orders.
Meanwhile, pro-life pregnancy centers and Catholic churches have faced violence, vandalism and even arson in the wake of the pro-life ruling. The violence appears to have no clear end in sight, with the Department of Homeland Security predicting that terrorist attacks could continue “for weeks” after the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.