Stage is set for Iowa to ban abortion

The nation has been in chaotic divide since the United States Supreme Court’s controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade - a 1973 case that set the precedent for women to decide with their physician whether or not to have an abortion.

“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,” the majority opinion stated.

The 6-3 decision June 24 came only one week after Iowa’s Supreme Court made the same call, reversing a 2018 decision. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was an advocate for the ruling, saying the 2018 decision “made Iowa the most abortion-friendly state in the country.” The decision rules that abortion is not a fundamental right in Iowa.

Since the 2018 ruling, Reynolds has appointed four of the seven justices of the Iowa Supreme Court.

The topic of abortion and bodily autonomy has taken over conversations and social media as states continue to restrict abortion access. Reactions have varied from joy to horror as men and women respond to the change.

Local Reactions

Deb Peterson served as Creston’s Planned Parenthood manager for nearly 20 years before its closing in 2013. “It was devastating to me,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it happened. I spent quite a bit of my working career supporting women in that choice and supporting them with their reproductive care.”

She said she’s sure Iowa is headed toward criminalizing abortion. “Because the legislature is controlled by Republicans and the governor is Republican, they will act as soon as they can to ban abortion,” Peterson said. “I anticipate it will move forward very quickly.”

Reynolds’ comments support Peterson’s prediction. “The fight for life is not over,” Reynolds said. “As governor, I won’t rest until every unborn Iowan is protected and respected.”

Terry Madison with Crest Area for Life concurs with Reynolds. “I was overjoyed,” Madison said. “I believe Iowa is a pro-life state, and we will probably follow in the steps of other states that have banned abortion.”

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley tweeted, “For many today’s decision is about far more than correcting Roe it means that the rights of the unborn are no longer in jeopardy This ruling empowers the ppl thru their elected reps to make commonsense policy decisions It takes policymaking out of the hands of unelected judges.”

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst tweeted in support of groups like Crest Area for Life. “Thank you to all of the pro-life organizations, volunteers, and advocates who have worked tirelessly to support mothers, children, and the sanctity of unborn life for the last five decades. If it weren’t for you, we would not be where we are today.”

The anti-abortion group met Tuesday to discuss upcoming events as well as the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “We have 40 to 50 members,” Madison said. “We try to get out in the community to educate people.” The group holds a memorial service every January for the unborn as well as participating in parades and partnering with the LC Clinic when they can.

The LC Clinic is located where the Planned Parenthood was before it closed due to a lack of funding. “The climate changed as far as people wanting to support family planning,” Peterson said. “There were always attempts by politicians and the governor to defund Planned Parenthood even though we couldn’t use federal money for abortions. That’s just how the other side looked at it.”

During her more than 20 years working for Planned Parenthood, Peterson said she consulted numerous women about the decision. “It’s not taken lightly,” she said. “It’s not something most women rush into. It isn’t something they flippantly decide to do. We were very careful to lay out all the options and make sure she wasn’t making the decision under any pressure.”

Statistics

In a CBS poll conducted Friday and Saturday, 52% of respondents called Friday’s ruling “a step backward” while only 31% called it “a step forward.” More than half of women surveyed said they felt this decision would impact their life.

Peterson said she talked with women who were opposed to abortion until they needed one. “Even at Planned Parenthood, no one liked abortion,” she said. “No one wanted people to have abortions. Nothing is perfect. Contraception isn’t perfect; situations aren’t perfect. It’s not black and white.”

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health’s most recent statistics on abortion, 79% of women having an abortion had it via a prescription drug. Medicated abortion, or the abortion pill, is only safe in early pregnancies. According to Planned Parenthood, the pill is only given within the first 11 weeks of pregnancy.

The total number of Iowans born in 2020 was 36,058 with an abortion number of 4,059, or approximately 10% of pregnancies excluding miscarriages.

Iowa Abortion Restrictions

The following are Iowa’s abortion restrictions as of June 28:

A patient must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage the patient from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. Counseling must be provided in person and must take place before the waiting period begins, thereby necessitating two trips to the facility.

The parent of a minor must be notified before an abortion is provided.

Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape, incest or fetal anomaly. The governor must approve each Medicaid-funded abortion.

A patient must undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion; the provider must offer the patient the option to view the image.

An abortion may be performed at 20 or more weeks post-fertilization (22 weeks after the last menstrual period) only in cases of life or severely compromised physical health. This law is based on the assertion, which is inconsistent with scientific evidence and has been rejected by the medical community, that a fetus can feel pain at that point in pregnancy.

What’s next

In a press release issued Tuesday, Reynolds urges district courts to lift the injunction blocking her bill signed in 2018. The bill, the strictest proposed in the nation at the time, outlaws abortions after a fetal heart rate is detected - six weeks. The ban was blocked by a state court based on the precedent of the 2018 ruling that has now been overturned.

For some, the fight is not over. Others fear what is yet to come. Justice Clarence Thomas hinted at what to expect from the Supreme Court in the coming months in his concurring opinion on Roe v. Wade. “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”

These cases involve the issues of contraception and same-sex marriage.

Peterson said she became a young feminist in the 1970s, and this decision takes her back. “It’s a sad day to take away that choice and that power over their own bodies,” she said. “To take away a right that has been guaranteed for almost 50 years. It’s like being taken back to a second-class citizen.”