Iowa falls toward the middle of the pack in review of its abortion laws by anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights advocates.
Iowa ranked No. 30 in a study by the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute on abortion restrictions,
according to The Washington Post. Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 in the study while Oregon was found to be least restrictive, the Post noted.
NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Iowa a grade of C+ for its choice-related laws. That organization called Gov. Terry Branstad and the Iowa House “anti-choice,” while labeling the Iowa Senate as “pro-choice.” About 85 percent of counties in the state don’t have an abortion clinic.
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Americans United for Life ranked Iowa at No. 36 on its 2015 Life List, which examines states’ progress toward a pro-life culture.
That organization pointed out 2014 district court ruling that upheld an Iowa Board of Medicine rule prohibiting the use of telemedicine for medical abortions. The Iowa Supreme Court reversed that decision in June, saying it violated women’s constitutional rights,
according to The Des Moines Register.
"It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the board's medical concerns about telemedicine are selectively limited to abortion," the court determined, according to the newspaper.
Iowa does not require a waiting period for women seeking an abortion as 28 other states do. It also doesn't require an ultrasound or pre-abortion counseling. Parents and guardians to not have to give consent to a minor seeking an abortion, unlike in 25 other states, but a parent or guardian must be notified,
FindLaw said. Abortions there must be performed by a licensed physician.
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Third trimester abortions are prohibited in Iowa unless the mother's life is endangered,
the Guttmacher Institute noted.
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