{"id":295083,"date":"2023-07-19T18:43:37","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T23:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=295083"},"modified":"2023-07-19T14:59:04","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T19:59:04","slug":"iowa-judge-blocks-heartbeat-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/iowa-judge-blocks-heartbeat-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa judge blocks state’s ‘heartbeat bill’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Judge Joseph Seidlin of Polk County, Iowa, placed an injunction<\/a> on the state’s “heartbeat bill” Monday, just days after the bill was signed into effect by Gov. Kim Reynolds.<\/p>\n

Reynolds signed the law, which protects preborn children after a heartbeat is detected, on Friday. Often, a heartbeat is capable of being detected around six weeks gestation, though a preborn child\u2019s heart first begins to beat 16 to 22 days post-fertilization. The law includes exceptions for rape and incest, and it also offers exceptions if the preborn child has a diagnosis “incompatible with life,” or to save the life of the woman (however, an induced abortion, which intentionally and directly ends the life of a preborn child, is not necessary<\/a> to save the mother\u2019s life).<\/p>\n

“Even with the fetal heartbeat bill, the fight continues for a robust culture of life that welcomes children, supports mothers, and involves fathers,” Reynolds said in a statement<\/a> upon signing. “As a pro-life governor, I will continue to promote policies designed to surround every person involved in a pregnancy with protection, love, and support. ”<\/p>\n

Even before Reynolds signed the bill into law, the abortion industry issued a legal challenge<\/a>. The lawsuit, filed by Planned Parenthood North Central States, the Emma Goldman Clinic, and the ACLU of Iowa, contended that the law posed an undue burden on women seeking abortion.<\/p>\n