A new law has been passed in the U.S. state of Iowa banning abortions where a foetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions for rape, incest, foetal abnormalities, and to save the life of the mother are included in the new legislation.
It means Iowa now has one of the most protective laws for the life of the unborn child in any country where abortion is legal. The Bill was passed by Iowa’s legislature and signed into law by the state’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds said, ‘I believe that all innocent life is precious and sacred, and as governor, I pledged to do everything in my power to protect it’. The law will come into force on 1 July unless halted by judicial activism.
Planned Parenthood, America’s leading pro-abortion group, says it will file a legal challenge in the courts. It believes the new law is ‘unconstitutional’ because it contravenes the landmark ruling of the US Supreme Court in 1973. The ruling, known as Roe v. Wade, gave women a ‘constitutional right’ to abortion, and has been controversial ever since.
