Reynolds will not appeal fetal heartbeat decision
Samuel Greene/Iowa State Daily
As she spoke, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds focused on the recent statistic that Iowa is the #1 state in the nation, a position she committed to maintain. She became governor in May 2017 after then governor Terry Branstad was appointed the United States Ambassador to China.
February 19, 2019
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday she will not appeal a District Court’s decision that ruled her fetal heartbeat law unconstitutional.
According to the press release, Reynolds’ decision not to appeal was based on the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down a law mandating a 72-hour waiting period for people seeking abortions, which served as precedent in the case against the fetal heartbeat law.
“I think the Iowa Supreme Court got it wrong,” Reynolds said in the release. “But after this decision and because of Planned Parenthood’s legal maneuverings, I see no path to successfully appeal the district court’s decision or to get this lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court.”
College Republicans President Jacob Minock said the appeal would be a long and lengthy process and politicians have to pick and choose their battles. Minock said he respects Reynolds’ decision.
Reynolds said moving forward, her administration would continue focusing “on changing hearts and minds and to seek other ways to advance the cause of protecting the unborn in Iowa and around the nation,” according to the press release.
Erin Davison-Rippey, Iowa’s Planned Parenthood state executive director, released a statement in response to Reynolds’ decision, saying the organization will continue to defend the right to an abortion in the Iowa Constitution.
“The fact that this ruling will go without further legal challenge is a victory for every Iowan who has ever needed or will need a safe, legal abortion,” Davison-Rippey said in the statement. “It is also a reminder that our fundamental Constitutional rights must be protected, and our judicial nominating process must remain intact, free from intrusion by partisan politicians.”
ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer also released a statement in response to Reynolds’ announcement, lauding the Iowa Constitution and courts for guaranteeing “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.”
