Iowa's highest court has upheld a law allowing the state to enforce a ban on most abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. The legislation prohibits abortions once early cardiac activity is detectable in a fetus or embryo, with exceptions made for cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, and threats to the mother's life.

This decision, announced on Friday, reverses a temporary injunction on the law initially passed by the state legislature in July 2023. In a 4-3 ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood, determining that the law does not infringe upon fundamental rights under the state constitution.

The court's published decision asserts that abortion restrictions are unconstitutional only if the state fails to demonstrate a "rational basis" for them. Justice Matthew McDermott, writing for the majority, stated that the law is "rationally related to the state’s legitimate interest in protecting unborn life." Conversely, Chief Justice Susan Christensen, in her dissent, argued that the majority's decision undermines women's bodily autonomy and heavily relies on outdated, male-dominated historical perspectives, disregarding advancements in women's rights.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who originally signed the 2023 law, expressed her approval of the ruling. "There is no right more sacred than life, and nothing more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn," she said, commending the court for upholding "the will of the people of Iowa."

The Iowa Capital Dispatch notes that the state had previously restricted abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Iowa joins other states in tightening abortion regulations following the US Supreme Court's reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had established a nationwide right to abortion. This shift has resulted in a diverse landscape of abortion laws, with more conservative states imposing greater restrictions.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, as of June, 14 US states, including Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas, have enacted total bans on abortion.