Iowa’s Republican governor calls a special legislative session to revive abortion restrictions

DES MOINES — Governor Kim Reynolds is calling the state legislature back into special session next Tuesday to pass abortion restrictions.

A news release from the governor’s office does not indicate what the governor wants to see in a bill. But with Republicans holding 34 of 50 seats in the Senate and 64 of 100 seats in the House, Reynolds says Iowans have voted for lawmakers willing to stand up for the rights of the unborn.

The statement from the governor does mention the so-called heartbeat law she approved in 2018 to ban most abortions after fetal activity can be detected, around the sixth week of a pregnancy.

Reynolds blasted the Iowa Supreme Court’s three-to-three ruling last month that kept in place an injunction blocking that law. Reynolds says the Iowa Supreme Court has disregarded the will of Iowa voters and Iowa lawmakers will continue the fight against the inhumanity of abortion.

Maggie DeWitte of Pulse Life Advocates co-hosted a March for Life is calling on the legislature to pass that 2018 law again.   “We cannot wait any longer for restrictions against this barbaric practice to be put in place,” DeWitte said. “The time to act is now.”

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart says abortion bans are wildly unpopular and voters will have a chance to remind their legislators who they work for in 2024.  “We know that Iowans are sick and tired of Republican politicians inserting themselves into deeply personal healthcare decisions,” Hart says.

The governor’s proclamation calls for the legislature to reconvene at 8:30 a.m. next Tuesday.