The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer.
Today Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a dangerous, unconstitutional ban on abortions in Iowa. The law blocks most abortions in our state after about six weeks—when many women don't even know they're pregnant.
The ACLU of Iowa, along with Planned Parenthood, will protect the fundamental right of Iowa women to control their bodies and their lives. The ACLU of Iowa is proud to be a part of the litigation team that will sue to strike down this clearly unconstitutional law before it goes into effect on July 1
It’s clear, after decades of legal precedent, that an abortion ban at this very early stage of pregnancy is unconstitutional. And supporters of this abortion ban know it is unconstitutional. They have been willing to push it through because their goal is to overturn Roe vs. Wade and ban abortions altogether. Their goal is to take away women’s rights to control their own bodies.
This is a bad way to make legislation. This is a bad way to treat the women of our state. This is bad for Iowa.
However you or I feel about abortion, it’s not our place to decide for someone else whether or when they should become a parent. And it’s certainly not the place of Iowa legislators. Decisions about whether to end a pregnancy, choose adoption, or raise a child are best made by the woman herself, in consultation with her doctor.
For nearly 90 years the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have been fighting this fight. And I assure you that we will continue the fight for reproductive rights every step of the way, for as long as it takes, year after year, decade after decade. Our grandchildren should not have to fight the battles our grandparents won. But fight we will. It’s why we are here. It’s what we do.
