Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the toughest abortion law in the country on Friday.
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The new law forbids abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which happens around the sixth week of a pregnancy. Hours before the governor approved the measure, officials from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa announced they’d go to court to block the law from going into effect. Backers of the abortion ban are hoping this legal dispute goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and wind up overturning the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. Reynolds acknowledged the looming legal battle.
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Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, is currently leading the legal defense of the state’s ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Reynolds told reporters even if Miller defends this new law, outside attorneys and groups may join the state’s legal team.
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