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Gov. Reynolds' special session on abortions begins Tuesday | Here's what you need to know

Iowa Republicans released their new proposal for abortion restrictions last Friday, which are the subject of Tuesday's special legislative session.

IOWA, USA — Back in 2018, Governor Kim Reynolds signed the first "Fetal Heartbeat Bill" that would ban abortions at around six weeks of pregnancy, deemed at the time as the country's most restrictive abortion law. 

That signed law, however, ultimately failed. Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court deadlocked over whether to vacate a lower court’s injunction and allow the ban to take effect. 

The 3-3 split held that abortion would remain legal in the state through 20 weeks of pregnancy.

That decision fueled the fire for Reynolds’ special legislative session call last Wednesday. Republican lawmakers are once again pushing for major limits on abortion with their newly filed bill, House Study Bill 255.

The new proposal is a near carbon copy of what was put forward by Reynolds in 2018. Both the 2018 law and the 2023 bill define a fetal heartbeat as cardiac activity, or "the repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac."

The 2023 bill also states that a pregnant person must be provided with written test results which confirm or deny that a heartbeat was detected. The pregnant person would then need to sign and acknowledge that if a heartbeat was found, an abortion is prohibited.

There are some exceptions to the proposed legislation, however: Cases of rape, incest or a medical emergency would allow an abortion to be performed by a doctor.

The bill would take effect immediately if it gets Reynolds' signature during Tuesday's special session.

You can sign up to speak at the 9:30 a.m. public hearing for the bill on Tuesday, July 11 at this link

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.

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