Iowa's Republican-controlled legislature passed the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S. on Wednesday, outlawing the procedure after a fetal heartbeat is detected, often at six weeks and before a woman realizes she is pregnant. "The bill weaponizes fetal heartbeat, which is by all accounts an arbitrary standard that bans abortion long before the point of fetal viability," Lee said in an email to Reuters. Mississippi's Republican governor in March signed into law a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks with some exceptions, sparking an immediate court challenge by abortion rights advocates. A similar court challenge is underway in Kentucky, which in April enacted a ban on a common abortion procedure from the 11th week of pregnancy. The bill would ban most abortions in the state and was passed in the final days of the Iowa legislative session.

Source: CBC News May 02, 2018 17:37 UTC