Abortion in Iowa is legal again, for now, after a judge blocks new restrictions

An Iowa judge temporarily blocked the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy days after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law. The judge’s decision on Monday means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy while the courts assess the new law’s constitutionality. The new law prohibits almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. It has been in effect since Friday as the judge made his decision.