Iowa Supreme Court split decision leaves 20-week abortion ban in place

June 16 (UPI) -- Iowa's highest court on Friday reached a split decision, meaning a more-restrictive ban on abortion in that state will not move forward, leaving the current approximate 20-week window for the procedure in place.

"One member of the court is conflicted out from this case, so the court is deadlocked 3-3 and the district court ruling is affirmed by operation of law," the judges wrote in their 64-page decision.

The result reaffirms the previous decision of the district court, not of the appeals court. That decision allows for the procedure to take place up until approximately the 20th week of pregnancy.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was attempting to reinstate a six-week abortion ban first passed in 2018. But what is referred to as the state's "fetal heartbeat bill" was caught up in the legal system and appeals process.

The legal landscape on the issue has shifted dramatically since then.

Almost exactly one year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 opinion in Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

That decision resulted in several states implementing abortion bans. Indiana became the first, passing legislation in September that amounts to a near-total ban on abortion.

Most women do not know they are pregnant after six weeks.

Reynolds, a Republican and the state's first female governor, has not publicly commented yet on the court ruling.

All seven judges sitting on the Iowa Supreme Court are Republican appointees.

The state will also hold the first Republican caucuses for the 2024 election, on the way to selecting a presidential candidate.