(KWWL) -- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and 11 other governors asked the US Supreme Court to reconsider its decisions on abortions including Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that found the Constitution of the United States protects the right to abortion.
Reynolds and the 11 governors signed on to an amicus brief filed Thursday in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The governors want the high court to reverse course on Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey to leave the decision of abortion policy to states.
“For years, democratically elected representatives in states like Iowa have tried to defend innocent human life only to be stymied by the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade,” said Gov. Reynolds. “For too long, this precedent has trampled on state sovereignty and destroyed the lives of millions of unborn babies. I am proud to join with governors from across the country to take a stand for life and democratic self-government.”
Iowa Republicans, including Reynolds, have long put forth strong efforts to limit abortions in the state. Over the past several years, several measures failed like a fetal heartbeat bill that would have banned abortions once a heartbeat is detected which was struck down in 2019 by the Iowa Supreme Court. A 72 hour waiting period for abortions was also blocked back in June.
"The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. This Court should hold as much—and in the process, help restore the constitutional (but currently disrupted) balance between the Federal Government and the States,” the governors stated in their amicus brief.
The 11 other governors to sign the brief are as follows: Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, Governor Douglas A. Ducey of Arizona, Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, Governor Brian K. Kemp of Georgia, Governor Brad Little of Idaho, Governor Michael L. Parson of Missouri, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana, Governor J. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas.
