Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking the Iowa Supreme Court to review a district judge’s ruling to temporarily block a new Iowa law that bans abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy.
State lawmakers passed the law, which bans abortion after cardiac activity is detected, last week during a one-day special session.
Abortion providers filed a lawsuit challenging the law.
Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin issued a temporary injunction on Monday blocking the law from going into effect while it goes through the courts.
The new law echoes a 2018 law, which was permanently blocked by a deadlocked state Supreme Court last month.
Earlier this week, Reynolds said she's confident the state Supreme Court would uphold the new law following the Dobbs decision and ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court last year, which lowered the state's standards to protect abortion.
"I think the bill that we passed is constitutional, especially with the changes that we've seen," Reynolds said. "So that's why I said that. I feel that it's a good bill. It is law. We passed it. It went into law now for three days. We were saving babies, and then the temporary injunction was filed."
Lawyers representing the state, including Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, filed the appeal to Judge Seidlin's injunction on Friday afternoon.
“Judge Seidlin stated this week that the Iowa Supreme Court left off last month with an “invitation to litigate” further the standard of review on abortion regulations," Reynolds said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. "Invitation or not, I will never stop fighting to protect our unborn children and to uphold state laws enacted by our elected legislators.”
