DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll shows that support for legal abortions in Iowa continues to rise.
According to the poll, 64% of Iowans support legal abortion while 33% oppose abortions.
Iowa currently has one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws that bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
"This ban is devastating," House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said. "This ban is not what Iowans want, and this ban is hurting and will kill women in our state."
The law went into effect in July after a year of legal battles. The law was first passed in a special session one year prior in July 2023.
The Iowa poll shows nearly 3 in 5 Iowans oppose that law.
Advocates in favor of the law believe the poll was worded poorly and say if the first question was different, it would have changed the outcome.
"One of the first questions that was asked was about a six-week abortion ban in Iowa, and I think that that was inaccurate," said Maggie Dewitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates. "When you start out with inaccurate information, that's going to taint your entire poll."
The poll saw disapproval from many different groups, a majority of those being Democrats, suburban women and suburban adults.
The poll also shows more than 2 in 3 Iowa women believe abortion should be legal in more or all cases.
Those advocating against the law believe this poll is showing the legislature playing politics, rather than focusing on Iowans.
"Stories like the personal, nuanced stories that I hear in the exam room from my patients everyday make it very clear that abortion bans harm patients," said Dr. Emily Boevers, of Iowans for Health Liberty.
At the same time, those for the law welcome conversations but want to bring awareness and emphasis on when a fetal heartbeat is detected and what it means.
Iowa GOP Chair, Jeff Kaufmann, reacted to the poll and told Local 5 that he believes the poll is "partisan and biased." Kaufmann said, "I am wondering why the Iowa poll didn't ask Iowans what they think about abortion on demand up to the point of birth."
Reproductive rights has been on the forefront of this election cycle and it's one of the topics the country cares most about.
Iowa's Democratic leaders believe this election will be different because Iowans are now seeing the realistic impacts of the law.
Editor Note: The below video originally aired July 29, 2024.