DES MOINES, Iowa – Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed HF 732, a bill that would ban abortions at the time a fetal heartbeat is detected at approximately six weeks, during the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines.
The bill was passed on Tuesday during a special session called by Reynolds following the Iowa Supreme Court issuing a 3-3 split opinion that left a permanent injunction of the six week abortion ban passed in 2018 in place. Three justices who were against lifting the injunction called the ban a “hypothetical law” since it was passed before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 2022.
During her remarks at the event, Reynolds criticized the opinion.
“While half the bench expressed the opinion that the court had ‘failed the parties, the public and the rule of law’ by refusing to decide the case, the other three justices engaged in pure political rhetoric, comparing an unborn child to trash and declaring the fetal heartbeat law to be no law at all, only a ‘hypothetical law,'” she said.
“They also expressed their uncertainty that such a law would be passed today post-Roe, as if the politics of the day would change our view on life,” Reynolds added. “They were wrong. This week, in a rare and historic special session, the Iowa legislature voted for a second time to reject the inhumanity of abortion and pass the fetal heartbeat bill.”
The ACLU of Iowa filed a legal challenge to the law on behalf of abortion providers in the state on Wednesday. Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin heard arguments on Friday and could decide as early as Monday if the law can remain in effect while being challenged in district court.
Reynolds addressed the legal challenge during her remarks.
“As we gather here today—and at this very moment—the abortion industry is in court trying to prevent this law from taking effect and stop the will of the people once again,” she said. “But the passage of this legislation—by an even wider margin this time—sends an unmistakable message: Iowa’s 2018 heartbeat law was not “hypothetical” or an empty gesture, and it was not a mistake. It was an ironclad commitment to the smallest and most vulnerable among us. All life is precious and worthy of the protection of our laws.”
Reynolds also criticized Democrats for their support of abortion.
“Just a few weeks ago, the Iowa Democratic party said Roe should be the floor, not the ceiling. And yet elected Democratic officials and candidates in Iowa and around the country are never pressed to answer the tough question. When is an unborn baby worth protecting? Or are there no limits? Make no mistake, with almost no exceptions, Democrats believe in abortion on demand up until the very moment of birth,” she said.
Reynolds said that even with enacting the six-week abortion ban there is more to be done to “create a robust culture of life that welcomes children, supports mothers, and involves fathers.”
“As a pro-life governor, I will continue to promote policies designed to surround every person involved in a pregnancy with protection, love, and support,” she stated.
