KDSN RADIO News
One year anniversary approaching for Iowa abortion law
Tuesday will mark one year since Iowa’s fetal heartbeat abortion law went into effect. The law bans abortion when cardiac activity is detected, which could be as early as six weeks.
The president of Planned Parenthood North Central States, Ruth Richardson, says abortions in Iowa fell 74% after the law went into effect, while Iowans who traveled to Minnesota and Nebraska clinics increased 182%. “What we are continuing to see and this environment are just the number of people who are being forced to travel outside of the state,” she says.
Maggie DeWitte is the executive director of Pulse Life Advocates, which opposes abortion. She says more needs to be done to encourage Iowans not to travel out of state for abortions. “And I think in a lot of ways, our fight is beginning in a new way, because now it’s going back to individual states, and now we’re seeing the issue with women going to other states that have more liberal abortion laws,” De Wittee says.
The law does have exceptions for rape, incest, life of the pregnant person and fetal abnormalities.
(Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio contributed to this story)
