Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court lifts injunction on abortion law, allowing enforcement of six week ban • Nebraska Examiner
Most abortions will soon be illegal in Iowa after six weeks of pregnancy following the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn a lower court’s block on the 2023 abortion law.
The 4-3 decision allows enforcement of the law that was previously blocked by a temporary injunction in a case challenging Iowa’s law restricting most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion remains legal in Iowa for now, until the case returns to the district court for further proceedings, according to American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. That will take at least 21 days under Iowa court rules, according to ACLU of Iowa, and abortion will remain legal during that time.
The law bans abortions after cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when the medical procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother. To qualify for an exception to the law, people must report the rape resulting in pregnancy within 45 days to law enforcement or a public health agency or doctor, and within 140 for cases of incest.
Embryonic cardiac activity can typically be detected as early as six weeks of gestation. Reproductive health care advocates have argued that many women do not know they are pregnant at six weeks, and that the law would effectively make most abortions illegal in Iowa. Abortions were previously legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The lawsuit was brought forward by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, the Emma Goldman Clinic — both health care providers that perform abortions — as well as Dr. Sarah Traxler and ACLU of Iowa.
The ruling states that the Iowa law is serving a legitimate state interest, and thus can be upheld legally.
“Every ground the State identifies is a legitimate interest for the legislature to pursue, and the restrictions on abortion in the fetal heartbeat statute are rationally related to advancing them,” Justice Matthew McDermott wrote in the majority opinion. “As a result, Planned Parenthood’s substantive due process challenge fails. The district court thus erred in granting the temporary injunction.”
Governor praises decision
Gov. Kim Reynolds, a supporter of the measure, alongside Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver and House Speaker Pat Grassley, praised the court decision in a news release Friday.
“There is no right more sacred than life, and nothing more worthy of our strongest defense than the innocent unborn,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa voters have spoken clearly through their elected representatives, both in 2018 when the original heartbeat bill was passed and signed into law, and again in 2023 when it passed by an even larger margin. I’m glad that the Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the will of the people of Iowa.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart wrote in a statement that the decision strips Iowa women of “reproductive rights that they have maintained for more than 50 years.”
“It’s obvious Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans do not trust women to make their own decisions regarding their own medical care or for doctors to use their best judgment while treating their patients,” Hart said in a statement. “Republicans went too far with this abortion ban, and Iowa voters will hold them accountable this November.”
Reynolds signed the six-week abortion ban into law after convening the Legislature for a special session in July 2023. That session followed a state Supreme Court decision in June of the same year to uphold the injunction on the 2018 so-called “fetal heartbeat” law, a similar measure.
Justices were split in a 3-3 decision on the case, upholding a lower court’s decision to enjoin the law. The 2018 abortion law was previously ruled unconstitutional, but Reynolds challenged the decision following major changes to abortion law at both the state and federal levels. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that there was no constitutional right to an abortion, overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade precedent and allowing states to enact abortion restrictions.
Since the U.S. constitutional protections for abortion lifted, multiple states have enacted restrictions or total bans on abortion. Most states surrounding Iowa have enacted laws limiting the procedure since 2022, according to information compiled by the Guttmacher Institute. South Dakota and Missouri have near total abortion bans with limited exceptions. Nebraska has restricted abortion at 12 weeks of gestation, and in Kansas and Wisconsin, abortions are currently legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Minnesota and Illinois have the fewest restrictions, allowing abortions to be performed until “fetal viability” — when a fetus is able to survive outside the uterus, typically around 25 weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions are granted for this limit in cases where the procedure is necessary to save the life of the woman, or if their health is at risk.
Days prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the Iowa Supreme Court found there is no state constitutional right to an abortion. That decision came in a case on the state law requiring a 24-hour waiting period and ultrasound for patients seeking an abortion.
While the state Supreme Court overturned the strict scrutiny legal standard for abortion laws — a test requiring a law serves a “compelling state interest” and uses the least restrictive means possible — Iowa Supreme Court Justice Edward Mansfield wrote that “we do not at this time decide what constitutional standard should replace it.”
‘Strict scrutiny’ legal standards
The arguments made in court about the 2018 abortion ban largely centered around what legal standard should replace “strict scrutiny” for Iowa abortion laws. But in the decision upholding the injunction, the Iowa Supreme Court did not put forward a new standard.
During oral arguments in April, attorneys representing Iowa and reproductive health care providers and advocates argued for what legal standard should replace “strict scrutiny” for Iowa abortion laws.
Eric Wessen, representing the state, called for the “rational basis” test to be used — a lower standard that means a law is constitutional if the state has a legitimate reason to enact it. Attorney Peter Im, representing Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Iowa, argued for the “undue burden” test, a standard higher than “rational basis” that requires laws not be too burdensome or restrictive of an individual’s fundamental rights.
The court sided with the state in the case, with McDermott writing that the Supreme Court holds “that abortion restrictions alleged to violate the due process clause are subject to the rational basis test.”
“Employing that test here, we conclude that the fetal heartbeat statute is rationally related to the state’s legitimate interest in protecting unborn life,” McDermott wrote.
The case was returned to the district court to “dissolve the temporary injunction and continue with further proceedings,” he wrote.
Chief justice dissents
In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Susan Christensen wrote that she “cannot stand by this decision,” holding there is no fundamental right to terminate a pregnancy under the state constitution.
“The majority’s rigid approach relies heavily on the male-dominated history and traditions of the 1800s, all the while ignoring how far women’s rights have come since the Civil War era,” Christensen wrote. “It is a bold assumption to think that the drafters of our state constitution intended for their interpretation to stand still while we move forward as a society. Instead, we should interpret our constitution through a modern lens that recognizes how our lives have changed with the passage of time.”
Christiansen wrote in the opinion that the majority opinion was too reliant on the state constitutional text adopted in 1857, during a time when women were not granted the same rights as men in the state. In the decision concluding abortion is not a fundamental right under the state constitution, Christiansen wrote “the majority perpetuates the gendered hierarchies of old when women were second-class citizens.”
Mansfield: Rule ‘gives no weight to a woman’s autonomy over her body’
Justice Edward Mansfield also wrote a dissenting opinion, reflecting on his dissent in 2018 to a ruling on the state’s 72-hour abortion waiting period that found abortion was protected by the state constitution and subject regulations to “strict scrutiny” review.
In that decision, Mansfield wrote that both sides are seeking to address important issues – “a woman’s autonomy over her body” as well as preserving “human life.”
“I remain of that view,” Mansfield wrote in the dissent published Friday. “But the court around me has shifted. So, instead of a constitutional rule that gives no weight to the State’s interest in human life, we now have in Iowa a constitutional rule that gives no weight to a woman’s autonomy over her body.”
He wrote that the “rational basis” test is not an appropriate measure for determining the constitutionality of abortion laws.
“I believe that subjecting a near-total ban on abortion to a rational basis test — the same test we apply to traffic cameras, and a more forgiving test than the one we apply to a law not allowing county auditors to correct defective absentee ballot applications — disserves the people of Iowa and their constitution,” Mansfield wrote.
Potential effects beyond abortion
State regulations on abortion following the 2022 Dobbs decision have caused challenges for people seeking to access other reproductive health care, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), in some states. The Alabama Supreme Court’s February ruling that found frozen embryos outside the womb are “children” caused multiple providers to cease IVF services until the governor signed a law providing certain protections to clinics and manufacturers of products used in IVF treatments.
The Alabama decision cited a 2018 state constitutional amendment stating “it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.” Reproductive health care advocates rallied against states enacting so-called “unborn personhood” language, often supported by anti-abortion proponents, in the wake of the decision because of concerns over the language’s impact on IVF access.
In March, Iowa House lawmakers passed a bill to raise penalties for the nonconsensual ending of a pregnancy that would have changed the language on these crimes from referring to the termination of a “human pregnancy” to the “death of an unborn person.” The legislation was tabled by Senate Republicans over concerns about the bill’s “unintended consequences” related to IVF access, Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale told reporters.
Reynolds said in a Friday statement that as the six week abortion law takes effect, she and GOP leaders will “continue to develop policies that encourage strong families, which includes promoting adoption and protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF).”
“As the heartbeat bill finally becomes law, we are deeply committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, and promoting fatherhood and its importance in parenting,” Reynolds said in a statement Friday. “… Families are the cornerstone of society, and it’s what will keep the foundation of our state and country strong for generations to come.”
Access to abortion medication has also been questioned following the 2022 Dobbs ruling. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier in June that mifepristone, a pharmaceutical that can be used to terminate pregnancies, can remain available under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s prescribing guidelines.
This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.
In a scant 11 weeks your Iowa Hawkeyes will make the 136-mile trek west on I-80 to retrieve the Cy-Hawk series trophy after its year-long vacation captivity somewhere deep in the bowels of Iowa State’s football facility. For Iowa fans last year’s edition of El Assico definitely lived up to its name, as Iowa pissed one down it’s leg and allowed Matt Campbell’s squad to carry the trophy off our field, onto their bus, and drive it back to their little cow-town out west. It was a bad day, and an absolute harbinger for the 2024 season, as the loss all but ended any hopes for a CFP birth (which were pretty remote to begin with).
But that was last year, it’s a whole new world in Iowa City with a new QB (4 new QBs to be precise), another offseason under Tim Lester’s belt and a new optimism for a season that, we hope, will lead to resurgence of Iowa Football under Kirk 4.5(???). Let’s take a look at what Little Brother has in store for us this year.
Series History
El Assico is my least favorite game every season for a variety of reasons. Sure, Iowa owns the all-time series (47-23) and generally owns little brother (especially when they wear one of their horrific alternate uniform combos – seriously, what’s the deal with the black and whites?), but it never feels good, even when we win. It’s a game that, generally, Iowa is expected to win, so when they do it means nothing and if they don’t it means everything, it’s a lose lose proposition for the Hawks. This time around Iowa State is coming off the best season in their history (finally getting over the 10-win hump) and they’re not looking to fall off. Matt Campbell has the Cyclones feeling good and has stolen 2 of his last 4 tilts against the Hawkeyes (though the Clones can’t seem to figure out how to beat us in their building), so I don’t expect that this year’s edition will feel good either, even when we win. The only real difference this year is that, right now, I don’t think many people would pick Iowa to win this game.
2024 Results
Overall: 11-3
Conference: 7-2
The Cyclones enjoyed a historic 2024 season, finishing 11-3 (achieving the schools first-ever 10+ win regular season), culminating with Iowa State earning a spot in their first ever conference title game. They finished the season ranked #15 in the final AP poll, and capped everything off with a bowl win over Miami that earned them the privilege of consuming an anthropomorphized Pop-Tart.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Matt Campbell (10th season at Iowa State)
Offensive Coordinator: Taylor Mouser (promoted from Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach, 1st season as OC)
Defensive Coordinator: Jon Heacock (9th season at Iowa State)
Matt Campbell arrived in Ames 10 years ago (which is hard to believe) and recently agreed to a Ferentz-like eight-year contract that will keep him in Ames through the 2032 season (provided that he doesn’t get poached by a P4 team, with a lot more money, between now and then). Taylor Mouser was promoted to offensive coordinator after Nate Scheelhaase left for the pros, though he’s no stranger to Ames, having been with Campbell since his arrival. Jon Heacock is Campbell’s Phil Parker and he isn’t going anywhere or getting any worse at putting a solid, though not always exceptional, unit on the field.
Key Departures
WR Jayden Higgins (Selected 34th overall by the Texans) – Higgins notched one of the best seasons an ISU receiver has ever had last year with 87 catches (second all-time), 1,183 yards (third all-time) and 9 touchdowns (tied for second all-time)
CB Darien Porter (Selected 68th overall by the Raiders) – Porter didn’t put up crazy numbers: 51 (18) tackles, 3 INT, 2 PDs, but he was a solid corner and a big body that could cover pretty much every team’s #1 WR.
WR Jaylin Noel (Selected 79th overall by the Texans. Noel may not have had the season that Higgins had, but he caught seven passes of 50+ yards (including a 75 yarder that sucked all the wind out of my sails in Iowa City last year).
OT Jalen Travis (Selected 127th overall by the Colts) – Travis was the first Cyclone OL drafted since the 49’ers took Carter Bykowski with the 246th pick in the 2013 draft.
Transfer Loss:
DT Tyler Onyedim (Sr.) – transferred to Texas A&M – 75 tackles and ten tackles for loss over the last two years.
Key Returners
QB Rocco Becht (Jr.) – Rocco has come a long way since he was thrust into the starting role after Hunter Dekkers ousting over gambling two years ago, throwing for over 3,000 yards each of the last two seasons and recording 48 passing touchdowns (sidenote – Iowa QB’s have thrown 19, no that is not a typo, in that same timeframe).
RB Carson Hansen (Jr.) – With 750 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground as a sophomore, Hansen proved that he wasn’t playing second fiddle to anyone. He may not have Abu Sama’s flash, but this kid has a nose for the endzone.
RB Abu Sama III (Jr.) – Sama may not have been able to repeat the success of his Freshman campaign, but he’s a legitimate threat with the ball in his hands. Combined with Hansen, this is a dangerous backfield.
S Jeremiah Cooper (Sr.) – 48 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections in 2024
CB Jontez Williams (Jr.) – Williams tied for 5th on the team in tackles last season with 46, had 4 picks and 5 PDs, he’s taking over for Cooper and will be heavily relied on to lock down his side of the field.
New Additions
WR Chase Sowell (Sr.) – A big pickup for Campbell, Sowell started out his career at Colorado, left after Deion Sanders came in, and grabbed 81 catches for 1,300 yards and four scores in two years at East Carolina. He’s a shoe-in for the #1 at WR.
EDGE Vontroy Malone (Jr.) – Malone had 49 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons in Tulsa, they’re hoping Malone can help beef up the pass rush (which managed just 16 sacks last season)
2025 Expectations
Wins: 7.5
Big 12 Championship Game: +1200
The Big 12 isn’t the conference it used to be (it’s not even the Big 8 anymore tbh) and there’s not a single game on the Clones’ schedule that they can’t win, but EVERY game is a toss-up, even the “easy” matchups. The Big 12 is expected to be stronger in 2025 with most predicting that Oklahoma State and Arizona will return to form. The road schedule (KSU in Dublin, Cincinnati, Colorado, TCU, and OKST) isn’t exactly murderer’s row, but there’s not an easy win in the bunch.
The Cyclones might be even better this year, but the Big 12 is stronger than it was in 2024. While they avoid Texas Tech, Utah, and Baylor, they are also missing games against teams in rebuild mode (UCF, WVU). The season opener against Kansas State in Dublin, will be crucial (and not just because they’ve decided to export Farmageddon to the Emerald Isle), as a loss in Week Zero could bring a hangover that carries into their date at South Dakota (predicted to go 12-0 and challenge for the FCS National Championship) and, fingers crossed, the Hawkeye’s visit to Ames.
Game Details
Date: September 6, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM CT
Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
TV Network: FOX
Fun Fact: Every year I manage to burn the caloric equivalent of walking ~10 miles while sitting on my couch watching this stupid game.
Only 11 weeks until kickoff!
The hype continues to grow for former Iowa Hawkeyes’ star running back Kaleb Johnson as we approach the 2025 NFL season.
In a recent episode of ESPN’s NFL Live, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler mentioned that the Pittsburgh Steelers believe Johnson will have an “instant impact” with the organization when discussing the team’s signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“When I talked to someone with the Steelers last night about [Aaron] Rodgers, first guy they mentioned was Kaleb Johnson,” Fowler said on an episode ESPN’s NFL Live. “They believe he’s gonna make an instant impact.”
After an impressive 2024 campaign with the Hawkeyes that included 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 attempt, Johnson was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh. Iowa fans rejoiced with the pick, as Johnson now seems primed for an immediate starting role due to the franchise failing to resign former 2021 first-round pick Najee Harris this offseason.
Now, the 21-year-old talented rusher will join the Steelers’ current running back room of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Both rushers are known for their explosive playmaking ability, which gives Johnson the chance to receive work in early-down situations for Pittsburgh’s offense. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is known for utilizing halfbacks that excel in the “bruiser” role, with Harris totaling over 1,000 yards in 2024.
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Dru Dorsey on Assumption’s 1A girls state soccer championship
Assumption forward and Cincinnati recruit Dru Dorsey talks the Knights’ 2-0 win over Denver in the 1A girls state soccer championship game.
AMES — Dru Dorsey had to give Davenport Assumption girls soccer coach Elizabeth Maus a huge hug after the Class 1A girls state soccer championship game between the Knights and No. 1 Denver on June 7.
Assumption just won its record 12th state championship with a 2-0 victory over the Cyclones. But it was the Knights’ first title since 2021, when Dorsey and her classmates were in eighth grade.
“I always felt like we had let her down, even though we knew that we didn’t,” Dorsey said. “Coming in my freshman year and (we) started a losing streak instead of continuing the winning streak. I was just really happy we could win it back for her.”
Dorsey scored one goal and assisted on the other during the championship game.
It took the Knights just five minutes and 21 seconds to get on the board
Dorsey connected with freshman Ruby Stevens with a cross from near the right corner of the field. Stevens got the ball near the far post and connected with the ball, sending it into the net for a quick score.
“I thought Ruby did absolutely amazing,” Dorsey said. “You never know how freshmen are going to do with the pressure. It’s a big field, you know, you get to play at Iowa State, so it was huge. I think that’s what set the momentum for the game.”
But Denver was not phased by the early deficit.
The Cyclones outplayed the Knights for much of the first half. Addyson Shepard had two crosses in the first half, going just over Assumption keeper Alyssa O’Neal on the first attempt. On the second cross, she found midfielder Kenzie Snyder, who went a little high with her shot attempt.
Shepard had another chance with nine minutes left in the half, but O’Neal came out to knock the ball away and the Cyclones’ follow-up attempt went high once again.
In the second half, Denver struggled on offense. Assumption, led by 1A all-tournament captain Camryn Menke and defender Maddi Tolle, contained Shepard over the final 40 minutes.
“They kind of played us three back with their two sixes in the front and it was kind of to eliminate balls to Addy,” said Denver coach Derek Krebsbach. “She’s really dangerous when she’s on the ball, so they did a good job of taking her out.”
With the Knight midfield and defense turning it up a couple of notches in the second half, Dorsey was able to put Denver away less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Dorsey got a ball near the 18-yard box and fired a shot that went into the far corner of the net to give her team an all-important two-goal cushion.
“I just kicked it, and it found the corner,” Dorsey said. “It started raining, so you never know what’s going to happen. It’ll slide through a few people, so I mean, you’ve just got to be ready.”
Assumption controlled the tempo of the game the rest of the way to end its three-year state championship drought.
“This moment is absolutely incredible,” Dorsey said. “I can’t even explain it. Doing this as a senior with all of them — it’s amazing.”
Assumption finished the season at 15-4-1.
Denver ended its campaign with a 21-1-1 record. It was the second year in a row the Cyclones suffered a 2-0 loss in the title game, falling to Nevada by the same score in 2024.
“It hurts,” Krebsbach said. “I’m still really proud of the girls. We could’ve, after last year, said ‘Well, we’re not going to be up for it again,’ and whatnot. Well, we were up for it. We made a run at it again and we played hard today.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
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