DES MOINES — Abortion will remain legal in Iowa until roughly 20 weeks of pregnancy — for now — after the Iowa Supreme Court split in an opinion delivered Friday
By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) – Iowa’s highest court did not revive a 2018 ban on most abortions on Friday, meaning that abortion will remain legal in the state up to 20 weeks of pregnancy for now.
One of the court’s seven justices did not take part in the ruling for an unspecified reason, and the remaining justices deadlocked 3-3. That automatically left in place a 2019 court order blocking the law.
Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, had asked the court to dissolve the order, which stemmed from a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood, arguing the law violated the right to privacy and equal protection under the U.S. Constitution before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
“With this ruling, thousands of patients seeking care in the state and beyond can continue to receive the necessary, life-saving care that they need,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement.
Chris Schandevel, a lawyer for the governor, said that “Iowans w