DES MOINES, Iowa – Gov. Kim Reynolds joined with 11 additional governors to defend states’ authority to enact legislation that protects the unborn. She signed onto an amicus brief, filed Thursday, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The brief urges the Supreme Court to reconsider its abortion decisions, including Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey, and instead uphold the right of states to enact legislation on this important matter.
“For years, democratically elected representatives in states like Iowa have tried to defend innocent human life only to be stymied by the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade,” Reynolds said in a released statement. “For too long, this precedent has trampled on state sovereignty and destroyed the lives of millions of unborn babies. I am proud to join with governors from across the country to take a stand for life and democratic self-government.”
The governors argued that abortion policy should be left to the states.
“The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. This Court should hold as much—and in the process, help restore the constitutional (but currently disrupted) balance between the Federal Government and the States,” they stated in their amicus brief.
The following governors also signed onto this brief: Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, Governor Douglas A. Ducey of Arizona, Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, Governor Brian K. Kemp of Georgia, Governor Brad Little of Idaho, Governor Michael L. Parson of Missouri, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana, Governor J. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas.
19-1392 Amicus Brief
