WILLEY, Iowa — Even before Friday's Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, one Iowa town had their own abortion ban in place. Now, it could be a sign of things to come for the state as a whole.
Willey, Iowa is a small town; it only has 98 residents. On May 2, the same day that the Supreme Court's ruling leaked, the town became a "sanctuary city for the unborn," banning abortion in city limits.
The policy says that life begins at conception and that any abortions performed in the city, whether through surgery or medication, are illegal. It also prevents residents from aiding or abetting someone seeking an abortion in town.
Willey doesn't actually have an abortion clinic; the nearest one is in Ames, about 70 miles away. That means abortions would have to be done through medication, likely sent by mail, but that might be difficult to enforce.
"Are they going to interfere with the federal mail? Well, that's a federal crime. Are they going to go into people's homes and search for, to see if there are medical abortion medications in the home? Well, that will affect search and seizure," said Sally Frank, a law professor at the Drake University School of Law.
Willey's policy does have exceptions for cases of ectopic pregnancies or accidental miscarriages; birth control devices and oral contraceptives are also exempt from the sanctuary city declaration. Anyone found to be violating the policy would receive a $500 fine but no criminal charges. A pregnant woman seeking an abortion is exempt. That's another reason Frank says the declaration is more of a message to the community than anything else.
"It's a municipal ordinance, unless there's some teeth, some enforcement mechanism, but symbolic things can be important," Frank said.
In a statement to Local 5, Willey mayor Kristin Nehring said that the community's reception to the ordinance has been positive, and she's thankful that the Supreme Court's ruling returned decisions about abortion to individual states.
"I still feel the sanctuary city ordinance is just as important now as before this ruling. I realize there’s more work to do on many levels, and there are no easy answers. I look forward to the opportunity to work with our community and our state in the future as we work through this change," Nehring said.