Iowa City officials react to latest move in state's "chess game" over reproductive rights
Friday's Iowa Supreme Court decision to uphold an injunction on a six-week abortion ban drew praise from Iowa City entities and officials despite the likelihood of a long, continuous fight for abortion rights.
The court was split on whether the bill should remain enjoined, preventing it from the ban going into effect.
Iowa City is home to the Emma Goldman Clinic, the longest-running non-profit clinic offering abortions in the United States. The facility celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Director Francine Thompson said Friday's decision is important to ensure abortion access in the state, a policy popular among most Iowans.
“Of course, we’re celebrating a victory for all Iowans that allows for abortion access to remain legal and available in the state,” Thompson said in an interview with the Press-Citizen. “And the good news is that the majority of Iowans agree that individuals should be able to make decisions regarding their reproductive health care.”
A March Des Moines Register poll showed that 61% of Iowans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases while 35% believed it should be illegal. More than two-thirds of Iowa women, 70%, said abortion should be legal.
This is not a fight that ends with the court’s latest decision, she said.
“We're not under the illusion that the Republican majority in Des Moines won't continue to put forth additional legislation or roadblocks to restrict abortion access,” Thompson said. “We are in a bit of a holding pattern until the next move is made in the chess game of reproductive health care and bodily integrity.”
Local officials respond positively but recognize continuing fight ahead
Officials in Iowa City praised the Supreme Court's ruling for helping affirm Iowan’s right to reproductive freedom, which included attempts by Gov. Reynolds to skirt the proper process, they said.
Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, told the Press-Citizen that the decision backs the will of the people, many of whom support women's reproductive rights.
“It's important that abortion remains safe and legal in Iowa,” Weiner said. “To me, that's the top line. It also affirms a right which a large substantial majority of Iowans support, to healthcare freedom, to reproductive freedom.”
The decision, which upheld the injunction on Reynolds’ six-week abortion ban bill that was passed in 2018, was accompanied by what Weiner called “fascinating” writing by Justice Thomas Waterman. In his writing, Waterman said the decision to throw out the injunction would be “unprecedented.”
Weiner is certain that moving abortion bills forward that pass the legislature will continue to be litigated and that the decision Friday's decision might even draw the legislature into a special session.
“We're just starting the fight,” Weiner said. “Iowans need to recognize that their rights are on the line. And now is the time to be active, to organize, to step up, to donate to do whatever you need in order to protect your rights.”
Organizers are holding a pop-up rally in College Green Park at 5 p.m. on Friday, Weiner told the Press-Citizen.
Ruling may save lives, Representative says
Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said if this more restrictive abortion bill had taken effect, it would have further impacted Iowa’s maternal mortality rates.
A December 2022 report from the Commonwealth Fund found that maternal mortality rates were more than 60% higher in the 26 states with more restrictive abortion access.
The most recent publicly available Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that Iowa’s maternal mortality rate was about 20 per 100,000 births, lower than the national average of 23.5. The CDC does warn that this data, even aggregated, is part of a very small sample size and interpretations should be made with caution.
Moving forward, Zabner is helping to protect abortion rights, he said, including co-sponsoring House Joint Resolution 9, a bill that proposes amendments be made to the Iowa constitution to codify protections for the right to abortion.
“I think every time you vote for the Iowa House, Iowa Senate, this issue continues to be on the ballot,” Zabner told the Press-Citizen. “We continue to have an extremist majority party that believes that they have a place and they should be the ones making these decisions, not women."
Is abortion still legal in Iowa? By default, yes
Abortion is still legal in Iowa. Friday's ruling does not change Iowa's abortion laws.
Abortion is currently legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Patients must wait at least 24 hours between their initial appointment and the procedure.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City's Emma Goldman Clinic calls court abortion ruling a "win"
