Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds: ‘I will never back down’ on abortion issue

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to defend Iowa’s halted law that bans abortions early in pregnancy.

The pair spoke during an anti-abortion rally at the Iowa State Capitol on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned by the court in June 2022 that provided a federally protected right to abortion.

Lawmakers last year passed and Reynolds signed into law House File 732 — which remains tied up in court — during a rare special session of the Legislature. It would change the amount of time women have to seek an abortion from 20 weeks post-fertilization to as little as six weeks — before many women know they’re pregnant.

The legislation prohibits abortions after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo. It includes exceptions for rape and incest and medical emergencies.

A Polk County District Court judge granted a request from Iowa abortion providers to halt enforcement of the new restrictions until its constitutionality can be considered by the courts.

Reynolds and Bird have asked the state Supreme Court to allow the new law to go into effect.

“It truly was an act of courage and conviction that will ultimately save precious lives,” the governor said of passing bills in 2018 and again last year that would ban nearly all abortions. “As we continue to fight in the courts, I want thank you for putting Iowa firmly on the side of life.”

Since both the U.S. and Iowa Supreme Courts overturned the right to an abortion, Reynolds said “the abortion industry and its allies have sunk to new lows in their attacks on the unborn.”

“In this environment, there are those who say the pro-life movement should back down,” the governor continued. “They say that standing unapologetically for life is too risky, or it cost too much. My response is simple: I will never back down from protecting the innocent and unborn."

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Reynolds added the “work of building a robust culture of life” that supports new and expecting mothers continues this session.

She mentioned her proposal to increase the coverage of postpartum care for new moms under Medicaid from two months to 12 months. Iowa is one of only a handful of states that has not implemented the extension, which was made available to states in the American Rescue Plan Act.

To accomplish this, Reynolds’ office said she would propose changing the eligibility for Medicaid coverage of birth and postpartum care to 215 percent of the federal poverty line from 375 percent under current law. While the benefits would be extended, fewer would qualify — keeping Medicaid costs for pregnancy and postpartum care neutral.

Reynolds, in her Condition of the State address earlier this month, also proposed a program to connect Iowans in need with faith-based organizations and the private sector and steer them away from government assistance.

Bird said “all life has value and must be protected.” And "as a mom, as a pro-life woman” said she is “thankful to get to defend our heartbeat law before the Iowa Supreme Court.”

“We know that we’re going to be successful,” the Iowa Attorney General told the crowd gathered in the Capitol rotunda for the annual Iowa Rally for Life. “We just have to keep working and never give up. We’re never going to give up when it comes to doing the right thing.”

Bird said all legal briefs from supporters and opponents of Iowa’s abortion ban are due to be filed with the Iowa Supreme Court by the end of this month. She said she anticipates the court will hear oral arguments this spring and that a ruling is “likely” by the end of June.

Planned Parenthood reports spike in people traveling to Iowa for care

Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart, in a statement, said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v Wade is “a stark reminder of just how important it is to vote in every election.”

Hart said Iowa Democrats “stand with the majority of Iowans who want to secure our fundamental freedoms by safeguarding the right to choose.”

“We all must continue our work to ensure that Iowa women have access to the reproductive health care they need, and put people over politics by protecting these critical rights we’d all held for 50 years before Dobbs,” Hart said.

Should the court uphold Iowa’s six-week abortion ban, Iowa Democrats say it would force Iowans to travel to neighboring states like Illinois and Minnesota to receive lifesaving reproductive health care.

Planned Parenthood North Central States said it has seen a nearly 100 percent increase in patients traveling from outside of its five-state region to get an abortion, including an increase in patients coming from states like Texas, Florida and Missouri, which passed laws making abortion illegal in nearly all or most cases. And in states that have banned abortion, maternal and infant mortality are on the rise, sexually transmitted infection rates are climbing, and health care deserts are growing, said Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States.

It operates health centers and provides abortion care in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.

“Everyone has a right to health care. And your ZIP code shouldn’t dictate the care you can access,” Dr. Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood North Central States, said in a statement. “Some patients have to travel hundreds of miles to see me. They deserve to access abortion care in their own communities.”

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