3-day wait period, 20 week abortion ban approved by Iowa legislature

Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa legislators sent Gov. Terry Branstad a measure Tuesday that would ban most abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy and impose a 72-hour waiting period on women seeking the procedure, a move highlighting the state's conservative shift since the November election.

The Republican-majority state Senate voted 30-20 along party lines for the legislation, after the GOP-led House approved it earlier this month.

Branstad, a Republican, is expected to sign it.

The 20-week provision includes no exceptions for rape, incest or fatal fetal conditions, though it would allow an abortion to be performed if the woman's life is at risk.

At least 19 other states have similar 20-week bans, which are based on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage.

Some have been stuck down by federal appeals courts, though the bulk of the bans are in effect.

The bill also would require a woman to wait 72 hours before she could get an abortion. Iowa would join five other states that have passed the same waiting period requirement, the longest in the country.

The legislation is a victory for GOP lawmakers in the state who have attempted abortion restrictions in the past only to be halted by Democrats.

Republicans control both chambers and the governor's office for the first time in nearly 20 years following the Nov. 8 election. They've used the new power to push conservative-leaning legislation this session, including abortion restrictions.