Iowa judge blocks effort to ban most abortions in the state

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE and DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state judge has blocked an effort to ban most abortions in Iowa by upholding a court decision made three years ago. Judge Celene Gogerty found Monday that there was no process for reversing a permanent injunction that blocked the abortion law in 2019. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that she would appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. Current law bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but Reynolds asked the courts to reverse the 2019 decision. That law prohibited abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which usually happens around six weeks of pregnancy and is often before many women know they’re pregnant.