DES MOINES, IOWA (July 30, 2021) — Governor Kim Reynolds joined with eleven additional governors on July 29 to defend states’ authority to enact legislation that protects the unborn. The amicus can be read online here.
“For years, democratically-elected representatives in states like Iowa have tried to defend innocent human life only to be stymied by the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v Wade,” said Gov Reynolds. “For too long, this precedent has trampled on state sovereignty and destroyed the lives of millions of unborn babies. I am proud to join with governors from across the country to take a stand for life and democratic self-government.”
Gov Reynolds signed onto an amicus brief, filed today, in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The brief urges the Supreme Court to reconsider its abortion decisions, including Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v Casey, and instead uphold the right of states to enact legislation on this important matter.
"The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. This Court should hold as much — and in the process, help restore the constitutional (but currently disrupted) balance between the Federal Government and the States,” the governors stated in their amicus brief.
The following governors also signed onto this brief: Gov Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Gov Kay Ivey of Alabama, Gov Douglas A Ducey of Arizona, Gov Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Gov Ron DeSantis of Florida, Gov Brian K Kemp of Georgia, Gov Brad Little of Idaho, Gov Michael L Parson of Missouri, Gov Greg Gianforte of Montana, Gov J Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Gov Greg Abbott of Texas.
