Iowa court blocks 72-hour waiting period for abortion

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Iowa Supreme Court struck down Friday a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion, ruling the restriction was unconstitutional and "autonomy and dominion over one's body go to the very heart of what it means to be free."

Justices noted the waiting period could force delays, increase costs and in some cases prevent a woman from legally obtaining an abortion. The court's 5-2 decision said the mandatory delay violated the Iowa Constitution because the restrictions on women weren't "narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest of the state."

"At stake in this case is the right to shape, for oneself, without unwarranted governmental intrusion, one's own identity, destiny, and place in the world. Nothing could be more fundamental to the notion of liberty," the justices wrote.

The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of Iowa and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which sued the state shortly after the law was approved last year. The groups argued a woman's right to an abortion was among the core privacy rights protected by the Iowa Constitution and federal law.

Attorneys for Planned Parenthood and the state had no immediate comment on Friday's ruling. The waiting period is part of a larger state law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The 20-week ban is in effect and isn't part of the legal challenge.

In its Friday ruling, the high court noted it wasn't concluding a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy was unlimited. The ruling, written by Chief Justice Mark Cady, outlined the difficulty courts have in reaching decisions on abortion.

"We do not, and could not, endeavor to discern the precise moment when a human being comes into existence. We have great respect for the sincerity of those with deeply held beliefs on either side of the issue.

"Nevertheless, the state's capacity to legislate pursuant to its own moral scruples is necessarily curbed by the constitution. The state may pick a side, but in doing so, it may not trespass upon the fundamental rights of the people," Cady wrote.

Two justices, Edward Mansfield and Thomas Waterman, disagreed. Mansfield's dissenting opinion argued the court's majority opinion forgoes "accepted methods of constitutional interpretation," and instead at times relies "on an undertone of moral criticism toward abortion opponents."

Mansfield is on President Donald Trump's list of possible nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.