Abortion rights protesters at the U.S. Supreme Court. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
There has been a 38% decrease in abortions performed in the state since the implementation of Iowa’s six-week abortion ban, according to a report published Thursday.
The state law banning abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected — something that can occur as early as six weeks of gestation — went into effect July 29. The so-called “fetal heartbeat” ban contains some exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Iowa saw a monthly average of 400 clinician-provided abortions in 2024 — a figure that includes both abortion procedures and medication abortions. That’s according to data compiled through the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study. In the month after enforcement began, the report found, that number dropped to an estimated 250 abortions.
The Guttmacher Institute, an organization that advocates for reproductive health care access, stated in a news release that this decline likely both reflects individuals who traveled to other states to receive abortion care as well as those who were not able to access abortions because of the state law.
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Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS) has seen a 64% decrease in abortions performed between June and July — before the law went into effect — in comparison to August and September, according to a report from Iowa Public Radio,
Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said in a statement Thursday that the new data confirms “what we expected when Iowa adopted a law banning abortion as early as six weeks.”
“Iowans now face significant hardships when trying to access abortion and many are forced to travel out of state to get the essential health care they so desperately need,” Richardson said. “Our patients call us, full of fear and questions. Some come to our health center and leave devastated after finding out they are past the ban’s cutoff. But we were prepared for this moment and created a network of support that has connected hundreds of Iowans with abortion care since the ban was implemented. Our commitment is unwavering, despite the relentless attacks of politicians who want to claw their way into Iowans’ exam rooms.”
The organization also reported a 159% increase in Iowans who traveled to out-of-state Planned Parenthood clinics for care in the same time period. The Guttmacher Institute’s study found that most Iowans travel to Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska for abortion care not available in the state.
Amy Friedrich-Karnik, Guttmacher Institute director for federal policy, said access to medication abortion, obtainable by mail through telemedicine providers, is a crucial reason why Iowa and other states that have implemented abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned have not seen an even sharper decline in the number of abortions.
“Access to abortion pills by mail has been an integral component of reproductive health care since the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision,” Friedrich-Karnik said in a Thursday statement. “Any changes to federal law or policy that would decrease or eliminate this type of care, as laid out in Project 2025’s conservative presidential agenda, would most certainly exacerbate the abortion access crisis, especially in restrictive states like Iowa.”
PPNCS also released figures Thursday showing a 150% increase in long-acting reversible contraception appointments scheduled since the 2024 general election. Richardson also linked this data with President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and concerns about future federal restrictions on abortion in the wake of an incoming Republican trifecta at the U.S. Capitol.
“The threats to sexual and reproductive health care under the Trump-Vance administration are serious,” Richardson said. “While we are prepared to help patients in the face of any threat, the fact that politics is once again part of people’s health care decisions is wrong.”
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