The Iowa Supreme Court [official website] on Monday temporarily blocked a law that enacted a 72-hour waiting period before a woman could get an abortion.

The bill [text] was passed [JURIST report] in the Iowa house in April and signed into law by former governor Terry Branstad right before he left office in May to assume his new role as ambassador to China. The bill also prohibits all abortions after 20 weeks into the pregnancy, but this part of the law is not currently being challenged. The waiting period is being challenged the the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa (ACLU of Iowa) [official website] and Planned Parenthood [official website].

Shortly after the passage of the law, the ACLU of Iowa filed a brief [text] in support of Planned Parenthood, arguing that the provision is “unnecessary and extremely onerous” and that it “will irreparably harm
women seeking abortions in Iowa.” The district court disagreed and upheld the law, noting that 27 states have implemented similar waiting periods, ranging from 18 hours to 3 days.

Similar policies have been implemented at all levels across the country. In March the US Senate passed a joint resolution to allow states to prevent federal grant [JURIST report] money from going to abortion providers. In Oklahoma the House of Representatives approved a bill [JURIST report] which would prohibit abortions because of Down’s Syndrome or genetic abnormalities of the child. In February the Supreme Court of Florida blocked a law [JURIST report] which enforced a mandatory waiting period for abortions.