“It was an extremely difficult decision to dismiss this case, knowing the harms that a mandatory delay law imposes on Iowans who need abortion care,” she said. “Iowa politicians should never have passed this law, which has no medical basis and only makes accessing abortion more difficult.”
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on June 17 that the state constitution does not include a "fundamental right to abortion." This sent Planned Parenthood's challenge to the waiting period law back to a lower court. Now, however, the abortion giant has decided that its legal budget is better spent elsewhere.
“The motion filed today does not mean we are giving up in our fight to keep abortion safe and legal in Iowa — quite the opposite,” Planned Parenthood public affairs director Mazie Stilwell in a statement. “We are instead intentionally shifting our time and resources away from this case to other looming battles, including the constitutional amendment stripping Iowans of their right to abortion and the Governor’s announced attempt to revive a six-week ban.”
The six-week ban Stilwell referenced is a 2018 law that was blocked by courts after it was signed into law. Given Iowa Supreme Court's ruling and the repeal of Roe v. Wade, Gov. Kim Reynolds is pushing for this law to be reinstated. Further, Iowa legislators are in the process of drafting an amendment that would prevent judges from ruling in the future that Iowa's constitution includes a right to abortion.
