July 2, 2020

Judge Issues Temporary Injunction Against Iowa 24-Hour Wait Period Law

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
On Monday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that requires women to take 24 hours of reflection between their first appointment and having an abortion. The very next day, District Court Judge Mitchell Turner placed a temporary injunction against the law's enforcement pending the decision in a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.

According to the Des Moines Register, Planned Parenthood “'established a likelihood of success' on its claim that the law was passed unconstitutionally by being added to an unrelated piece of legislation at the last minute.”

The Iowa law requires abortion clinics to provide relevant information at an initial appointment before a woman can have an abortion at a second appointment at least 24 hours later. At this initial appointment, women must be offered the ability to see an ultrasound image of their child and materials about life-affirming alternatives such as adoption.