As of today, a law came into force according to which the abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, thus expanding the list of US states that have severely limited or banned this right. The right to abortion has been placed at the center of the electoral campaign by the Democrats.
The new law bans most abortions from the moment a heartbeat is detected, which usually occurs at six weeks of pregnancy. At this stage, many women don’t even know they are pregnant.
This legislation was made possible by the end of federal abortion protections in the US, decided nearly two years ago by the US Supreme Court, which was largely reshaped by President Donald Trump during his term.
“More than 1.5 million women woke up with fewer rights”
“This morning, more than 1.5 million Iowa women woke up with fewer rights than they had last night because of Trump’s new abortion ban,” wrote Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee in November’s presidential election, against the Republican billionaire.
The US vice president has long been actively involved in this issue, visiting many states to defend this right. In March, she visited a family planning clinic where abortions are performed, a first for a vice president, according to US media.
“In November, we will block Trump’s extreme bans on abortion at the ballot box,” she added today.
“Iowa will become the 22nd state to implement abortion bans. These bans, imposed by Republican elected officials, put women’s health and lives at risk,” White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said today.
Until now, abortions were allowed up to about 20 weeks in Iowa, a Midwestern US state that Donald Trump won in 2020.
“Patients will have to travel hundreds of miles if they can afford it” to reach states where abortion is still legal, said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, an abortion rights group.
Iowa law provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest, danger to the life of the mother and abnormalities in fetal development.