(Radio Iowa) – A district court judge has ruled that a state law that would ban most abortions is still unconstitutional and the permanent injunction barring it from taking effect remains in place. In 2018, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill to make most abortions illegal after a fetal heartbeat is detected. That’s about the sixth week of a pregnancy. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa immediately sued and prevented the law from taking effect. A district court judge issued a permanent injunction in 2019.

A Polk County District Court judge has ruled she has no authority to lift that order and her ruling goes on to say it’s the Iowa Supreme Court, not the district court, that will decide what legal standards should be used to review abortion-related cases.

Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s very disappointed in the district court’s ruling and appeal the decision immediately. Reynolds says this summer, the Iowa and U-S Supreme Courts made clear there is no fundamental right to an abortion and the fetal heartbeat law passed by representatives of the people should take effect.