Biden condemns Iowa court’s decision to uphold six-week abortion ban

President Biden on Friday condemned the decision by Iowa’s Supreme Court to uphold the state’s six-week abortion ban, saying it puts women’s health in jeopardy.

The court, in a 4-3 ruling, overturned a lower court’s temporary block on the state’s six-week ban on abortion, saying the ban is legal.

The move on Friday allows the law, which bans abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, to take effect in Iowa. The law includes some exceptions for rape and incest if reported to the police or health provider within a specific period.

Biden, in a statement, noted that Iowa is the 22nd state to have an abortion ban go into effect since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, saying the bans are “imposed by Republican elected officials.”

“This should never happen in America,” Biden said. “Yet, this is exactly what is happening in states across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And it’s not stopping at the state level — Republican elected officials in Congress have proposed four national abortion bans while refusing to protect nationwide access to IVF and contraception.”

The president also reupped calls for Congress to codify Roe into federal law, legislation that would be dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled House and face a narrow margin in the Senate.

He also called on Democrats to “stand firm against efforts made by Republican elected officials to undermine Americans’ fundamental freedoms.”