Iowa governor signs strictest abortion regulation in U.S.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed a law banning most abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, or at around six weeks of pregnancy, marking the strictest abortion regulation in the nation — but setting the state up for a lengthy court fight.

The Republican governor signed the legislation in her formal office at the state Capitol as protesters gathered outside chanting, “My body, my choice!”

Reynolds acknowledged that the new law would likely face litigation, but said: “This is bigger than just a law, this is about life, and I’m not going to back down.” Reynolds has previously said she was “proud to be pro-life.”

The ban, set to take effect on July 1, has propelled Iowa to the front of a push among conservative statehouses jockeying to enact restrictive regulations on the medical procedure.

Mississippi passed a law earlier this year banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but it’s on hold after a court challenge.

The Iowa law provides for some exemptions that allow abortions during a later pregnancy stage to save a pregnant woman’s life or in some cases of rape and incest.

The bill signing came shortly after the Iowa affiliates of Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union warned that they would sue the governor if she signed the bill, which the Republicancontrolled Legislature quickly approved in afterhours votes earlier in the week.

Critics have argued the bill would ban abortions before some women would even know that they’re pregnant.