Abortions are set to be banned past six weeks in Iowa. That’s after a ruling from the state’s supreme court, published Friday.
The new ban will replace Iowa’s current law, which limits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Shelley Mann with Nebraska Abortion Resources (NEAR) said the new policy could affect Nebraskan patients who are seeking out-of-state abortions once they’re past their state’s 12-week ban.
Her group helps Nebraskans access abortions by coordinating and paying for medical costs, travel, childcare and more.
“Iowa had obviously been number one for us,” Mann said. “Now those folks are going to have to find somewhere else to go, which means that we’ll likely be sending them to Minnesota.”
Mann said NEAR had also been sending people to Illinois and Colorado for appointments.
“Now access is moving even further away,” she said. “It’s almost like an attempt at a war of attrition. We’re just slowly moving access and watching the map go dark, state after state after state.”
Anti-abortion groups in Iowa cheered the ruling. The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition called the decision a “big win for life” on its website.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds – who signed the six-week law in 2023 before it was blocked by a lower court in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland – said in a statement, “There is no right more sacred than life, and nothing more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn.”
“I’m glad that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa,” Reynolds said. “We will continue to develop policies that encourage strong families, which includes promoting adoption and protecting in vitro fertilization.”