The Quickie: Six-Week Abortion Ban Remains Permanently Blocked in Iowa

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: IA six-week abortion remains permanently blocked, court case may require minors to get parental consent for birth control, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom coalition to explore ballot initiative, Sen. Tillis blocks bill that ensures pregnant people have bathroom breaks, and CA Future of Abortion Council updates its historic policy report!  

SIX-WEEK ABORTION BAN REMAINS PERMANENTLY BLOCKED IN IOWA: Yesterday evening, a district court in Iowa ruled against Gov. Kim Reynolds’s attempt to resurrect a 2018 law, banning abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many even know they are pregnant. This means that abortion remains legal in Iowa. 

In 2019, the Polk County District Court ruled that the 2018 law was unconstitutional and permanently blocked it from going into effect. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the Iowa Supreme Court weakened state abortion protections, Gov. Reynolds tried to resurrect the abortion ban through the courts. However, the district court yesterday ruled in favor of abortion providers, saying Iowa does not have the authority to dissolve the 2019 permanent injunction and that the ban remains unconstitutional under the Iowa Constitution. 

“The district court’s decision is a huge win for abortion rights and bodily autonomy in Iowa,” said Planned Parenthood North Central States President and CEO Ruth Richardson. “For now, abortion remains safe and legal in the state, and Iowans will continue to have control over their ability to determine their lives and futures. Every person deserves the right to make private health care decisions, not politicians or judges. We won the battle today and we will keep pushing to protect the reproductive freedom of Iowans.”

“We applaud the court’s decision to continue blocking this dangerous six-week abortion ban, which would put politicians in control of Iowans’ personal medical decisions,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said. ”With abortion banned or severely restricted in many states across the region, Iowa remains a critical access point for patients seeking basic health care. We welcome this ruling, and we know that the fight is far from over in both the courts and in the legislature next session. Anti-abortion politicians will not stop their attacks on Iowans’ reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. Planned Parenthood remains committed to using every tool at our disposal to defend and protect patients’ fundamental right to abortion. No matter who you are or where you live, every person deserves access to safe, legal abortion.”

Read more at AP and read PPFA’s full release here. 

MINORS MAY NEED PARENTAL CONSENT FOR BIRTH CONTROL THANKS TO A TEXAS COURT CASE: A case before a Texas federal judge has the potential to change how young people get birth control. Last week, the judge ruled that it violates Texas state law and the U.S. Constitution for people under 18 to get their birth control through the Title X program without parental consent. 

The case, Deanda v. Becerra. is a clear reminder that sexual and reproductive health care is under attack nationwide, and there are ongoing efforts to restrict people’s ability to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.

Read more about the case from Vox here.

OHIOANS FOR REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM COALITION TO EXPLORE ABORTION RIGHTS BALLOT INITIATIVE IN OHIO: Yesterday, several reproductive rights organizations, including Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio (PPAO), announced the formation of Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, a coalition that will explore introducing a ballot initiative to protect reproductive rights in Ohio. The state’s six-week abortion ban is currently blocked by the courts. 

“Ohio’s elected leaders need to stop ignoring the demands of the people they claim to represent and protect,” PPAO Vice President of Government Affairs Lauren Blauvelt Copelin said. “The people of Ohio overwhelmingly support access to abortion and deserve the fundamental right to comprehensive health care. But Ohio’s leaders continue to ignore the will of Ohioans, introduce barriers to health care and erode people’s abilities to exercise their democratic voices. This must end. We’ve seen when the American people are given the chance, they vote for their bodies, for their lives and for their futures, they vote to protect abortion. We know Ohioans will do the same. In coalition with our partners throughout the state, we will make sure our patients and communities remain our highest priority.”

In the coming months, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom will decide on the timing and scope of the campaign. The coalition is also prepared to organize against a proposal to raise the vote threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%, which if approved, could be on the ballot as early as May 2023. 

Read more at Cleveland.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer.  

SENATOR TILLIS BLOCKS BILL TO MAKE SURE PREGNANT PEOPLE GET BATHROOM BREAKS: On Thursday afternoon, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) objected to a bipartisan bill that would make sure pregnant workers can have reasonable accommodations like bathroom breaks, a place to sit down, and water–things that should be common practice, but need to be federally protected. Instead, pregnant people are being punished to advance anti-abortion politicians’ cynical goals. 

Read more from Jezebel here.

CA FUTURE OF ABORTION COUNCIL UPDATES HISTORIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT: Yesterday, the California Future of Abortion (FAB) Council released updates to its historic report from last December, which was developed by elected officials and more than 40 organizations, including Planned Parenthood Advocates of California (PPAC), to protect and expand reproductive freedom in the state. The updates include 16 additional policy recommendations and reporting on California’s progress of enacting 26 of the report’s original recommendations, which were used as the blueprint for the state’s legislative efforts to expand and protect abortion access in 2022. That work included the passage of 15 abortion access bills, more than $200 million in new investments for sexual and reproductive services in California, and the voter-approved Proposition 1, which enshrines abortion rights in the state constitution. 

“As extreme politicians enact dangerous restrictions or outright bans on abortion services across the country, California’s continued leadership is essential during this national crisis. Coming off a midterm election that saw abortion rights win regardless of state politics, it is critical leaders continue to make progress towards actualizing our commitment to reproductive freedom,” PPAC President and CEO Jodi Hicks said. “We hope this new, groundbreaking work, will provide California leaders at every level, the information and resources needed to build on the successes of 2022 and further push our state towards a more equitable and accessible health care system, including abortion. To people across the country, know this: The more than 100 Planned Parenthood health centers throughout California will continue to provide care to people regardless of where they call home – just as they have always done.” 

Read the full CA FAB Council report here and read PPAC’s press release here.