Iowa Supreme Court says Constitution grants no right to abortion

The state Supreme Court reversed its four-year-old decision Friday that guaranteed the right to abortion to women in the state. The decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought by abortion providers challenging an Iowa law requiring a 24-hour waiting period before a woman could have an abortion performed. 

What does this mean? Iowa lawmakers can now pass laws to protect babies from abortion without having to go through the lengthy process of amending the state constitution — if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in its upcoming Dobbs v. Jackson decision and allows states to set their own regulations of abortion.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report in Vitals discussing the details of the case that led to this decision.