(CNN) The Republican-led legislature in Iowa has passed a bill that, if signed into law, will become the nation's most restrictive abortion ban: It forbids doctors from performing the procedure after a fetal heartbeat is detected. In many cases, that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women even know they're expecting. Right now, Iowa bars most abortions after 20 weeks, already making it one the most restrictive states. But Senate File 359 , or the "heartbeat bill," ups the ante. In 2013, North Dakota passed a similar law that banned abortions after six weeks .

Source: CNN May 02, 2018 22:18 UTC