Iowa governor calls special legislative session with ‘sole purpose’ of restricting abortion

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has called on the state Legislature to convene for a special legislative session for the “sole purpose” of restricting abortion in the state. 

Reynolds’s office made the announcement Wednesday, saying the special session will begin July 11. 

“Iowans have elected representatives willing to stand up for the rights of the unborn and, in doing so, they have voted strongly in support of pro-life principles and against the arbitrary destruction of innocent, defenseless lives,” Reynolds said in a statement. She also noted that she proposed and signed an abortion ban into law in Iowa in 2018. 

“I believe the pro-life movement is the most important human rights cause of our time. Not only will I continue to fight against the inhumanity of abortion, but I will also remain committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, promoting fatherhood and parenting, and continuing policies that encourage strong families,” the governor concluded. “These are the most essential building blocks of our society, and they are what will keep the foundation of our state and country strong for generations to come.” 

The state’s Supreme Court issued a 3-3 split decision last month that rejected a bid to implement Reynolds’s 2018 abortion ban, which would have kept abortions legal in the state until 20 weeks of pregnancy. 

Reynolds’s attempt coincides with other GOP-led states who have implemented or enacted their own abortion bans and restrictions following the Supreme Court’s 2022 strikedown of Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision established nearly 50 years earlier that made abortion legal.

“After years of litigation, the Iowa Supreme Court was split 3-3 last month in its opinion regarding whether a lower court’s injunction of the Fetal Heartbeat Law should be dissolved,” Reynolds said in response to the state Supreme Court’s decision. “This lack of action disregards the will of Iowa voters and lawmakers who will not rest until the unborn are protected by law.”