How ADF Helped Iowa Protect Unborn Life After Dobbs

Abortion providers repeatedly sued Iowa over the state’s pro-life laws. But that didn’t deter Gov. Kim Reynolds from standing up for the unborn.
Alliance Defending Freedom
Published
A cradled baby with its eyes closed

One of the great promises of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was that for the first time in 50 years, states would be empowered to protect life in their laws. The state of Iowa did just that, and after enduring a litany of lawsuits—and with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom—the state is now free to protect life.

Planned Parenthood’s deadly pursuit

For years, Planned Parenthood had hounded the state with a series of lawsuits challenging state laws.

In 2018—when Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land—the Iowa General Assembly passed a law protecting unborn life by prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law, but Planned Parenthood immediately sued to stop it from taking effect.

Later that year, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a decision in a separate lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood, this time challenging a state law implementing a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. In this case, the court ruled that Iowa’s constitution confers a right to abortion. In an unprecedented decision, the court labeled abortion a “fundamental right”—one that can override the state’s interest in protecting the lives of its most vulnerable citizens, the unborn. The next year, a state district court enjoined the fetal heartbeat law, preventing it from taking effect.

That’s when ADF got involved.

Iowa’s laws post-Dobbs

In yet another lawsuit, Planned Parenthood challenged a newer law passed by the state legislature that implemented a 24-hour waiting period before abortions. A district court ruled for the abortion provider, and Gov. Reynolds appealed to the state supreme court. ADF filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a group of 60 state legislators.

In the brief, we asked the court to reverse its 2018 decision that declared abortion to be a “fundamental right.” ADF Senior Counsel Chris Schandevel joined attorneys from the state to argue the case. In June 2022, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned its prior decision, saying that the 2018 ruling “lacks textual and historical support” and that its “constitutional footing is unsound.”

A week later, an even bigger decision came out when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to once again pass laws protecting unborn life. Following these two landmark rulings, Planned Parenthood dismissed its latest lawsuit against Gov. Reynolds.

Meanwhile, ADF (now representing the governor) went back to the district court that had enjoined Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law back in 2018 to ask the court to lift that injunction. But the district court declined because, while the Iowa Supreme Court had struck down its earlier ruling, it hadn’t articulated a judicial standard by which to judge abortion regulations in general.

ADF appealed, and in 2023 the Iowa Supreme Court heard the case. This time, ADF Senior Counsel Chris Schandevel argued in court on Gov. Reynolds’s behalf. Unfortunately, one of the justices was recused. And in June, the court released a deadlocked order. The remaining six justices had split 3-3 over how to resolve the case. As a result, the lower court’s injunction remained in place, and the law remained blocked from taking effect.

A trilogy of cases leads to victory

That disappointing decision may have seemed like a setback, but in God’s providence, it actually set up one last lawsuit—a case that would finally protect life in Iowa as the people and their elected representatives had intended.

In 2022, something else happened in Iowa that would have major implications for the effort to protect life in the state. Brenna Bird was elected attorney general, giving Iowa another strong pro-life advocate in the state government.

The next summer, the state legislature passed a new fetal heartbeat statute, which Planned Parenthood immediately sued to block. Gov. Reynolds signed the bill into law, but a district court ruled in Planned Parenthood’s favor. Gov. Reynolds and Attorney General Bird then appealed to the state supreme court. ADF filed an amicus brief urging the court to allow the law to take effect.

The court agreed to hear the case and released its decision in June 2024. After years of litigation over Iowa’s laws protecting unborn life, there was finally a conclusion: the fetal heartbeat law would be allowed to take effect. And going forward, all pro-life laws the legislature passes will be allowed to take effect so long as they have a “rational basis.”

Thanks to the dedication of the state legislature, the resilience of Gov. Reynolds and Attorney General Bird, and the assistance of ADF along the way, Iowa is protecting unborn life in a way it couldn’t before.

While there is still much work to be done around the country to protect life, Iowa serves as an example that when pro-life advocates stand up—and stand together—we can accomplish great goals by God’s grace.

Case timelines