Restrictive Fetal Heartbeat Bills Face Uphill Challenge

The state of Iowa now has one of the nation’s most stringent abortion regimes, which pro-choice advocates say sets Roe v. Wade back to the initial fight. Iowa’s Governor, Kim Reynolds, signed off on the controversial law last May that required doctors to listen for a fetal heartbeat before approving an abortion. This law was struck down by Iowa’s Supreme Court, but that doesn’t mean pro-life advocates are ending this without a fight.

So what does this “heartbeat” test mean? It comes down to not having a legal abortion after 6 weeks, when most fetal heartbeats are first heard. Now, when it comes to terminating a pregnancy, for residents in des moines ia gynecologist say traveling to Illinois was the next best option.

A Pro-Choice Setback Goes To Supreme Court

In 1973, Jane Roe sued against the prohibition of abortion, and the case made its way to the Supreme Court. A young Texan, 22-year old Norma McCorvey, sued under the pseudonym “Jane Roe” against the US abortion ban. McCorvey was single and pregnant for the third time, but in Texas, abortions were banned at that time. By the time the court case made its way to the Supreme Court, McCorvey had birthed the child. Nevertheless, she continued with the court case, and abortions were legalized across the country. While the updated Iowa law does not preclude abortions, requiring a “fetal heartbeat” test is certainly a setback.

The newest law tried to go into effect last July 2018. The bill prohibited abortion if the unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected. According to doctors, a fetal heartbeat can be detected around the 6th to 7th week of pregnancy. This measure required a doctor to evaluate each pregnant woman, to determine the presence of fetal heartbeats. A doctor performing abortions, after detecting a heartbeat …