Iowa Judge Temporarily Blocks Abortion Restrictions, Governor Reynolds Takes Center Stage in Presidential Race

An Iowa judge has temporarily blocked the state's new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, just days after it was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds. The law, which prohibits almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, is now on hold while its constitutionality is assessed by the courts. Abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. The ruling specifies that the state's Board of Medicine should proceed with creating rules for enforcement, and limited circumstances for abortion after cardiac activity is detected are outlined. This decision comes as many Republican-led states have implemented restrictive abortion laws in the past year.