Governor Kim Reynolds releases statement today (Tuesday) on the one-year anniversary since Iowa’s Fetal Heartbeat Law went into effect. The law bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected which can typically occur around the sixth week of pregnancy. Reynolds first enacted the bill in 2018, but was met with legal blockings that did not enable the bill to be enforced until the Iowa Supreme Court ruled of lifting the injunction in 2024. Reynolds celebrates the victory of staying strong those five years and noting the successes of the law in the first year, saying “Abortions in Iowa are down nearly 60%. This is a powerful victory for life, and it’s all because Iowans and their representatives stood strong for the rights of the unborn, passing the bill not just once, but twice—and by an increasingly wide margin. Today, Iowa’s commitment to mothers and their babies, before and after birth, is stronger than ever. We launched the MOMS program to support crisis pregnancy centers, extended postpartum care for mothers on Medicaid, funded maternal health centers of excellence in rural communities, improved Medicaid rates for complex pregnancies, and granted paid parental leave for state employees. This is what it means to be comprehensively pro-life — surrounding everyone involved in a pregnancy with love and support, promoting strong families, and intentionally building a culture of life.” The bill does allow exceptions for abortions in the case of rape, incest and when deemed medically necessary.