Iowa Supreme Court Divided on Abortion Restrictions

The Iowa Supreme Court has declined to reinstate a law that would have largely banned abortion, upholding a 2019 district court ruling that blocked the law. The blocked law bans abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. The latest ruling comes roughly a year after the same body — and the U.S. Supreme Court — determined that women do not have a fundamental constitutional right to abortion. The decision Friday was largely procedural — the 2022 appeal to the 2019 ruling was too late.