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Protesters at the Iowa State Capitol, during the marathon special session where the Republican majority passed a stricter abortion law

Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP

The legislature of the US state of Iowa passed a law on Tuesday evening (local time) that prohibits most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. In a marathon special session that lasted late into the night, the Republican-dominated state government voted in favor of the bill. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement that she would sign it into law on Friday.

The bill was passed in an extraordinary, one-day special session that lasted more than 14 hours, with votes from Republicans in parliament alone. Meanwhile, abortion opponents and supporters demonstrated at times loudly in the government building. Shortly after 23 p.m. (local time), demonstrators in the gallery of the meeting room booed the senators and shouted "shame" after the law was passed.

Reynolds had ordered the special session after the Iowa Supreme Court, the state's supreme court, refused in June to reinstate a virtually identical law she signed into law in 2018. "The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this parliament would pass the same bill it passed in 2018, and today they received a clear response," Reynolds said in a statement. "The voices of the citizens of Iowa and their democratically elected representatives can no longer be ignored, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed."

Anti-abortion law against the will of the majority of the population

A survey in Iowa in March found that 61 percent of adults in the state believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. 35 percent of respondents believe that abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.

Currently, abortions are allowed in Iowa up to the 20th week of pregnancy. The new law with the shortened deadline will come into force with the signature of the governor on Friday. In this case, abortions are generally prohibited as soon as activity of the heart cells of the embryo can be detected, which is the case after about six weeks of pregnancy. At this point, many women do not yet know that they are pregnant.

Exceptions for later abortions are provided for rape, incest and complications. However, a rape must have been reported to law enforcement or a healthcare provider within 45 days. In the case of incest, the reporting period is 145 days. If the fetus shows fatal abnormalities or the pregnancy endangers the woman's life, it may still be terminated later.

"Women in Iowa are less free than they were a week ago, and that's because of the Republicans in the House of Representatives and the governor," said Jennifer Konfrst, leader of the Democratic opposition group in the House of Representatives. She expressed concern that chaos and confusion would ensue once the bill is signed. "We're going to spend every day until Election Day telling voters that the Republicans in the legislature were too extreme, went too far, and voted against the interests of ordinary people in Iowa," Konfrst said.

Most Republican-governed states have drastically restricted access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark ruling about a year ago and transferred jurisdiction over abortion laws to the states. Around half of the 50 states have imposed restrictions or even complete bans on abortion. In several states, lawsuits are currently pending against their abortion laws.

jso/AP