PRESS RELEASE (February 18, 2019) — The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer in response to Gov. Reynold’s announcement that the state will not pursue an appeal on a district court judge striking down the so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill:
"We’re glad that politicians are recognizing what we have known all along — that the Iowa Constitution has strong protections for women’s rights, including abortion access, and that attempts to seriously erode those rights will be struck down. We’re proud of a Constitution that affirms a women’s fundamental right, in consultation with her doctor and loved ones, to make one of the most difficult, personal decisions she’ll ever make. Government has no place in that.
"Moving forward, we’ll continue to fight efforts to amend the Iowa Constitution to ban abortion. Some people want to drag us back to a time when women died out of desperation to control their lives and their bodies. We won’t go back, and we’re glad that politicians have not been successful in implementing what would have been the most extreme ban on abortions in the country, especially considering the fact that a 6-week abortion ban law did not have the support of the majority of Iowans.”
