Outlawed

Iowa House Votes to Ban Nearly All Abortions

Approved a ban after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at six weeks.

The Iowa House of Representatives approved a measure late Tuesday night banning nearly all abortions in the state. Senate File 359—which bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected—was approved on a 51-46 vote. To win support, the House’s strongest anti-abortion Republicans made concessions that allowed exceptions for some victims of rape or incest. “There were [originally] so many restrictions on the mother’s decision. It troubled me because it was just too restrictive,” said Rep. Dave Heaton. “And now we’ve loosened it up [creating exceptions for] incest, rape, the life of the mother, fetal anomaly. It’s enough for me to get on board.” Democrats said the new exemptions do little to moderate the measure they called “frightening,” “unconstitutional,” and “extreme.”