DES MOINES, Iowa — An effort to ban most abortions in Iowa has been blocked by a state judge.
The judge upheld a court decision made three years ago after finding there was no process for reversing a permanent injunction that blocked the abortion law in 2019.
Currently, state law bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but the blocked bill would ban them after a heartbeat is detected.
Today, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Iowa held a press conference to share their response.
“We know how much people have been counting on this decision, and we just are incredibly relieved and grateful,” said Rita Bettus Austen, the legal director of the ACLU of Iowa. “This keeps abortion safe and legal in our state for now and we are gonna do everything we can working together and working with Iowans to keep it that way moving forward.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds also shared a response to the decision.
She wrote in a statement, "I'm very disappointed in the ruling filed today by the district court, but regardless of the outcome, this case was always going to the Iowa Supreme Court. We will appeal this decision immediately."
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