Iowa has passed a 6-week abortion ban. What options do women have in neighboring states?
Iowa is joining a growing list of states that have enacted strict abortion bans since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reversing the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.
On Tuesday, Iowa lawmakers passed a bill that bans all abortions once a "fetal heartbeat," or electrical cardiac impulses, is detected in the embryo at around the sixth week of pregnancy. The ban includes narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and preservation of the life and health of the pregnant person.
The fallout of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturning Roe has created a patchwork of different abortion laws in states across the country. While some states, including Iowa, enacted strict limits on the procedure, others placed legal protections around abortion rights to preserve patient access.
As a result, abortion providers in the region say they've seen more patients traveling from out of state to obtain the procedure. Officials with Planned Parenthood North Central States, which includes Iowa, said they've seen a 100% increase in patients traveling from other states.
Previously, abortion was legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks. Going forward, women seeking abortions past six weeks will need to consider travel outside of Iowa.
What do abortion laws look like in the states surrounding Iowa?
Minnesota
Abortion is legal up until "fetal viability," or when a fetus can survive outside the uterus with or without medical aid. That occurs at about 25 weeks of gestation. Minnesota law does allow abortions after viability to save the pregnant person's life, or to preserve their health.
Unlike other states, Minnesota law does not require patients seeking abortion to meet certain requirements to obtain an abortion.
South Dakota
Abortion is considered a criminal act in South Dakota, with limited exceptions, because of a trigger law that went into effect June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe.
Abortion is legal in cases to preserve the life of the pregnant person. Beyond that, abortion is inaccessible in the state under South Dakota law.
Under the law, any person, including a doctor, who performs an abortion could be charged with a class 6 felony, which carries a maximum two-year prison sentence and a $4,000 fine.
North Dakota
North Dakota has a near-total ban on abortion, which went into effect in April, making abortion legal only in cases of rape and incest — and only up to six weeks of pregnancy. Many women don't know they're pregnant at six weeks, which is two weeks after she misses her first period.
Abortion is permitted at any stage if the procedure would:
Save the life of the pregnant person.
Preserve the pregnant person's physical health.
Providers or those who aid an abortion could face felony charges if they violate the law.
Nebraska
Abortion is legal up until 12 weeks of pregnancy, or 12 weeks after first day of the last menstrual period.
The ban, which went into effect in May, does allow exceptions after 12 weeks of pregnancy:
To save the life of the pregnant person.
To prevent serious risk to the pregnant person's physical health.
If the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
However, to obtain an abortion in Nebraska, patients are required to receive counseling and wait 24 hours before obtaining the procedure. If the patient is under the age of 18, they also must receive parental or guardian consent.
Kansas
It is legal to get an abortion in Kansas up to 21 weeks and six days of pregnancy. After that, abortions are legal only if the procedure would:
Save the pregnant person's life.
Preserve the pregnant person's physical health.
Last year, voters rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have rejected any right to an abortion in the state, blocking lawmakers from enacting abortion bans.
However, Kansas law does require patients to undergo a 24-hour waiting period, view an ultrasound of the pregnancy and receive state-directed counseling before obtaining an abortion. In addition, parents of a minor must consent before the procedure is provided.
Missouri
Under a trigger law that went into effect with the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Missouri has a near-total abortion ban that outlaws the procedure except in cases when:
The pregnant person's life is endangered.
The pregnant person's physical health is severely compromised.
Missouri law also makes it a felony to perform or induce an abortion but specifies that women undergoing abortions cannot be prosecuted.
Illinois
There are no restrictions on abortions in Illinois before "fetal viability," the stage of pregnancy when a fetus has developed enough that it is able to survive outside the uterus. This usually happens around 25 weeks of pregnancy.
An abortion may be performed after viability only:
To save the pregnant person's life.
To preserve the pregnant person's health.
Wisconsin
Abortion providers in Wisconsin have stopped offering abortion services after the state reverted to a law from the 1800s that enacts a total abortion ban, unless the procedure is needed to save the life of the pregnant person.
Doctors who violate the law could face felony charges that include up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
A lawsuit challenging this 19th-century law is making its way through the state courts. If the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the state's previous abortion law — which allows the procedure up to 20 weeks of pregnancy — would go into effect.
Until it is clear whether this law will be enforced, advocates say abortion services aren’t available in Wisconsin.
Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: As Iowa adopts 6-week abortion ban, what are options in nearby states?
