Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Heartbeat Restriction Law

Abortion advocates took a shot across the bow in Iowa this week.

The Iowa State Supreme Court has ruled that it will uphold heartbeat restrictions in the state’s new law to protect unborn children.

The court ruled 4-3 as well as remanding the case to go back to the lower courts.

Upholding Life

Iowa has a long history of being pro-life, and that seemed to be at the heart of the court’s decision.

In fact, Justice Matthew McDermott, who penned the majority decision, pointed to this fact, saying that abortion is “not rooted at all in our state’s history and tradition.”

He added, “The state’s interest in protecting the unborn can be traced to Iowa’s earliest days.”

His ruling continued, “Every ground the State identifies is a legitimate interest for the legislature to pursue, and the restrictions on abortion in the fetal heartbeat statute are rationally related to advancing them.

“As a result, Planned Parenthood’s substantive due process challenge fails. The district court thus erred in granting the temporary injunction.”

As this legal battle regarding abortion rights has worked its way through the court, Planned Parenthood ceased conducting abortions in the state, as it has done in several other red states that have outright banned abortion.

In roughly three weeks, new instructions will be set in terms of what is legal for abortion, but in the meantime, the abortion clinics plan on reopening and jamming in as many appointments as possible.

While Iowa abortionists have stated they will abide by the new law, they also stated that “it is not clear when in late July the injunction will be dissolved, Planned Parenthood North Central States and Emma Goldman Clinic representatives both said they would schedule as many appointments as possible before that point.”

After the ruling came down, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds stated, “There is no right more sacred than life, and nothing more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn.

“Iowa voters have spoken clearly through their elected representatives, both in 2018 when the original heartbeat bill was passed and signed into law, and again in 2023 when it passed by an even larger margin.

“I’m glad that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.

“As the heartbeat bill finally becomes law, we are deeply committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, and promoting fatherhood and its importance in parenting.

“We will continue to develop policies that encourage strong families, which includes promoting adoption and protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF). Families are the cornerstone of society, and it’s what will keep the foundation of our state and country strong for generations to come.”

The case in question is Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Reynolds, No. 23-1145, and if you would like to read the full ruling, click here.