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Iowa Supreme Court puts state's abortion
waiting period on hold
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 [October 25, 2017]
By Chris Kenning
(Reuters) - The Iowa Supreme Court has
maintained a block on a three-day waiting period for women seeking an
abortion until a legal challenge concludes, a decision cheered by
abortion-rights advocates.
The provision was signed into law in May by former Republican Governor
Terry Branstad, part of new regulations that also included a ban on most
abortions after 20 weeks.
The waiting period portion was challenged earlier this year by the
American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Planned Parenthood. The Iowa
state attorney general's office could not be reached for comment on
Tuesday.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 although states can
limit and regulate abortions. U.S. state legislatures enacted 41 new
abortion restrictions in the first half of 2017, according to the
Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health group that supports abortion
rights.
Planned Parenthood on Tuesday praised the court's decision, issued on
Monday, to keep in place a prior stay on the requirement that women wait
72 hours before having an abortion.
"This ruling ensures that women in Iowa will have continued access to
the health care they need throughout the course of this lawsuit," said
Susan Allen, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
[to top of second column] |
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad testifies before a Senate Foreign
Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be
U.S. ambassador to China at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., U.S. on
May 2, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
A lower court had earlier upheld the disputed provision of the law,
noting that 27 states have implemented waiting periods for abortion,
ranging from 18 to 72 hours, the Des Moines Register reported on
Tuesday.
In May, Planned Parenthood said it would shutter four of its 12
clinics in Iowa as a result of another Iowa measure that blocked
public money for family planning services to abortion providers.
(Reporting by Chris Kenning; editing by Grant McCool)
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