Iowa judge blocks governor’s bid to ban most abortions in the state

On Monday, a district court judge in Iowa blocked Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bid to ban most abortions in the state by upholding a court decision from 2019.

Currently, abortion in Iowa is legal for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

In 2018, Reynolds passed and signed a law that prohibits abortions once cardiac activity is detected, the Associated Press reported. In June, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that women have the fundamental right to abortion under the state’s Constitution, the Des Moines Register reported.

In early 2019, a state judge also ruled that the “fetal heartbeat” law violated Iowa Constitution and may not be enforced, the newspaper reported.

Gov. Reynolds had asked the courts to reverse that decision, but on Monday, Judge Celene Gogerty ruled that she doesn’t have the authority to dissolve the injunction, the news outlets reported.

Reynolds said she would appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court, the Associated Press reported.