Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The abortion battle explained in three minutes

Louisiana's Democratic governor has signed a highly restrictive new abortion law that bans the procedure after a foetal heartbeat is detected.

The law could prohibit abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

State legislators overwhelmingly backed the bill on Wednesday, by 79 votes to 23 and Governor John Bel Edwards signed the bill into law on Thursday.

It is the latest in a raft of anti-abortion measures which are expected to face legal challenges.

Four other states have passed similar limits to abortion this year.

In a statement, Governor Edwards said: "I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for [the law] to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone."

He did not hold a signing ceremony.

Governor Edwards has long opposed abortion. Support for abortion restrictions has put some state Democrats at odds with the national party, which views access to the procedure as a core plank of its platform.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dina had to give birth to her rapist's child - under Alabama's abortion ban women would have no choice.

Women throughout the US have staged protests against the Lousiana legislation, and major Hollywood stars and production companies have vowed to boycott states that implement such bans.

Disney, Netflix and WarnerMedia have all publicly threatened to rethink production in these states if the laws take effect.

What are heartbeat laws?

So-called heartbeat laws seek to make abortion illegal as soon as a foetal heartbeat is detectable. In most cases, this is at the six-week mark of a pregnancy - before many women even know they are pregnant.

Although Louisiana's stringent law does allow abortions in cases where the pregnant woman's life is in danger, it does not include exemptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption The new push to limit or ban abortion has sparked outrage

But the law will only come into force if a federal court upholds a similar ban passed in neighbouring Mississippi. A judge temporarily blocked the Mississippi law when it was passed.

US President Donald Trump has appointed two conservative judges to the Supreme Court since taking office, and analysts say conservatives across the US see this as the moment to challenge the 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling - which granted women the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Explaining Roe v Wade and abortion in US

Which states have passed restrictions?

Louisiana is the fifth state to pass a heartbeat law, after Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.

The US Supreme Court earlier this year narrowly blocked new abortion restrictions in Louisiana, which would have required doctors who provide abortion services to be certified to practise at a nearby hospital - which critics say would have limited the right to abortion and would cause two of the state's abortion clinics to close.

Meanwhile, Alabama has passed an outright ban on the procedure in nearly all cases. None of these laws are yet to take effect, however.

US President Donald Trump has said he is against abortion except where the pregnancy endangers the mother's life, or results from rape or incest. </s> BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that has provoked anger from members of his own party.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the measure Thursday, making Louisiana the fifth state to enact such a law, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

The new law will outlaw abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can come before a woman knows she's pregnant. The law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

Louisiana's law won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. It takes effect only if Mississippi's law is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office. </s> Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says he plans to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill passed by the state legislature, breaking with the Democratic Party on the pivotal abortion issue.

Shortly after legislators gave final passage to Senate Bill 184, the Democratic governor reminded voters that he has never made any secret of his abortion views, running in 2015 “as a pro-life candidate after serving as a pro-life legislator for eight years.”

“I know there are many who feel just as strongly as I do on abortion and disagree with me — and I respect their opinions,” said Mr. Bel Edwards in a Wednesday statement.

With his signature, Louisiana would join a dozen red states in passing tough new restrictions this year on abortion access, many of them aimed at challenging the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as the court grows more conservative.

Republican governors in four states have signed into law fetal heartbeat bills, which prohibit most abortions after about six weeks’ gestation, or after the time in which a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Such laws in Kentucky and Mississippi have already been blocked by judges pending court battles.

Other states expanding abortion restrictions include Missouri, which approved a ban on most abortions after eight weeks’ pregnancy, and Alabama, which passed a two-week ban, the most restrictive in the nation.

Mr. Bel Edwards would apparently become the first Democrat to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill. In 2013, such legislation became law in Arkansas after the Republican legislature overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.

The Arkansas law was overturned the following year in federal court.

Red-state Louisiana has a history of bipartisan support for pro-life legislation. In 2006, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed a “trigger” bill, which would outlaw most abortions if Roe is overturned.

The Louisiana bill, which won House approval Wednesday on a bipartisan 79-23 vote, calls for doctors who violate the law to face criminal penalties and risk losing their medical license.

The bill includes no exceptions for rape or incest, but does allow abortions to “prevent the death of a pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”

The Louisiana bill would only become law if Roe is overturned or if the Mississippi fetal-heartbeat measure is deemed constitutional.

Alanah Odoms Hebert, ACLU of Louisiana executive director, condemned the “abortion ban,” calling it “part of a concerted national effort to criminalize abortion.”

“After years of attacks on abortion access, Louisiana politicians have now sunk to a new low with an extreme ban that would outlaw abortion before many women know they are pregnant,” she said.

Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper commended the state legislature after passage of the House bill.

“Abortion stops the beating heart of a precious unborn child, and our nation must bring an end to this injustice,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to Governor John Bel Edwards signing this bill into law.” </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, will be signing the state’s fetal heartbeat bill into law, marking a significant break from the Democratic Party on the subject of abortion.

The heartbeat bill is similar to others that have recently passed throughout the country. It ultimately bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks. This bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape and incest.

“Even though I know there are horrible crimes that are committed with rape and incest.… The child should not be killed and terminated because of the crime of the father,” said state Representative Valarie Hodges, who carried Senate Bill 184 in the House.

Governor Edwards has been a vocal supporter of pro-life legislation, ABC News reports. Following the state’s passage of the heartbeat bill on Wednesday, Edwards released a statement defending his decision to sign the bill.

"As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone," Edwards said in a statement Wednesday.

Edwards reminded his constituents of his progressive record but reiterated that he ran as a pro-life candidate in 2015. Edwards defended his pro-life position by noting that his more liberal stances on Medicaid expansion, criminal justice reforms, and LGBTQ discrimination protections stem from his pro-life position.

The bill’s sponsor, State Senator John Milkovich, a Shreveport Democrat, defended the bill against accusations that it is unconstitutional.

“God values human life, and so do the people of Louisiana,” Milkovich said this month. “We believe this is an important step in dismantling the attack of the abortion cartel on our next generation.”

The New York Times notes that it is extremely rare for Democrats to take such strong pro-life positions. The Times writes,

In the 1990s, the party agreed that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” a slogan that has long since fallen from use. Today, Democrats rarely take public positions against any kind of abortion access and Republicans rarely take them in support. Louisiana has been an anomaly.

But as observed by Governor Edwards, Louisianans are “overwhelmingly pro-life.”

“I am so proud of Louisiana and the Democrats there and John Bel Edwards,” said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. “He’s the only governor like this.”

It is likely that the law will be challenged immediately, as has been the case in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio. It’s unclear whether these laws will have a chance of surviving legal challenges, as Mississippi’s heartbeat bill was temporarily blocked from going into effect on July 1 by a federal court last week.

“Here we go again," U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves wrote in his opinion. “Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability.” Reeves claimed that the law “prevents a woman’s free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy.”

As noted by the Times, Louisiana’s heartbeat law is not enforceable until a federal appellate court rules on Mississippi’s law.

States have been taking a stand against abortion laws recently, seemingly in response to New York’s pro-abortion law passed in January that virtually allows abortions at any time during gestation, up to birth. In addition to the heartbeat laws passed in the aforementioned states, Alabama has passed a bill that criminalizes abortions, and Utah and Arkansas have both passed laws that would ban the most common form of second-trimester abortions.

Louisiana’s legislature is also working on a constitutional amendment that will ask the state’s voters to vote on whether the state should ban abortion outright in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. According to The Advocate, Louisiana’s House has sent the bill, sponsored by Democratic Representative Katrina Jackson, to a conference committee where the language will be finalized before an expected vote to place it on the October 12 ballots.

Pro-life champions are hopeful that Roe v. Wade may be overturned now that Justice Brett Kavanaugh has joined the Supreme Court. There seems to be a race to see which measure may make it to the Supreme Court and provide the opportunity to achieve lasting change against an institution that has claimed the lives of 61 million babies since Roe v. Wade. </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern US states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Governor John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia.

Alabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana’s law does not contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill’s signing, however, will limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon.

Louisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighbouring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Mr Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, did not hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office.

He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as “overwhelmingly pro-life”.

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion nationally.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realise they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.

Several hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest against the ban ahead of the bill signing.

“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.

Louisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile”.

But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimised.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation. </s> Louisiana's Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday. The move puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana's law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill's signing, however, won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana's law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as "overwhelmingly pro-life."

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Lawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.

Louisiana's law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman's death or "a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" — or if the pregnancy is deemed "medically futile." But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.

Louisiana is one of the country's most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. State lawmakers annually enact new regulations seeking to curb access with bipartisan support.

Louisiana's latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich, from northwest Louisiana.

Although Edwards is rarity in the national Democratic Party, he's consistently run as an anti-abortion candidate. When he ran for governor in 2015, his campaign had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter's spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.

The bill signing from Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.

Still, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.

The chair of Louisiana's Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She's posted opposition messages on Twitter, such as: "Roe vs. Wade should be respected not undermined! Right to privacy!" But she hasn't directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection. </s> Louisiana’s Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.

With his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

Louisiana’s law doesn’t contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

The bill’s signing, however, won’t limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge is upheld by a federal appeals court.

Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn’t hold a public bill signing or issue a statement about it, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of the people in his conservative, religious state.

“This is an issue I’ve been consistent on forever. I am pro-life,” he said earlier this month on his radio show, when asked about the bill.

Louisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.

Lawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.

None of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.

Opponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections. Several hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest the ban ahead of Thursday’s bill signing.

“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.

Louisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile.” But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.

Under the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.

The abortion-rights debates that divide state Capitols across the nation cause fewer ripples in the Louisiana Legislature. It is one of the country’s most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned.

Louisiana’s latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich. And the governor won some GOP praise for his position.

“While Gov. Edwards and I disagree on a lot of things, I’m proud that he stands for life,” Republican Rep. Julie Emerson said.

Although Edwards is a rarity in the national Democratic Party, he ran as an anti-abortion candidate. In his 2015 campaign, Edwards had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter’s spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.

The bill signing by Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.

Still, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.

The chair of Louisiana’s Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She’s posted opposition messages on Twitter, including after the bill signing: “Embarrassing! Apologies to LA women, particularly for the disrespect to women victimized by rape or incest.” But she hasn’t directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection. </s> Louisiana’s state legislature on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a so-called “heartbeat” pro-life bill, becoming the latest in a slew of states to enact strict new restrictions on abortion that many conservatives have hoped will end with the Supreme Court revisiting its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The bill, which cleared the Louisiana House by a 79-23 vote, requires an ultrasound to be conducted prior to any abortion procedure being performed. If a heartbeat is detected, the bill bans abortion unless, under penalty of perjury, the abortion provider declares the procedure necessary “to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.”

The bill also includes an exemption in the case that a physician certifies that the “unborn child has a profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth.” The text does not include an exception for rape or incest, but includes penalties only for abortion providers — not women seeking abortions.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, has said he will buck the national party establishment and sign the measure into law. Another Democrat, state Sen. John Milkovich, sponsored the bill — underscoring the deep pro-life culture in Louisiana, even among liberal politicians.

In a statement posted on Twitter shortly after the vote, Edwards emphasized that “being pro-life means more than just being pro-birth,” touted his criminal justice reform and foster care initiatives, and vowed to sign the bill into law.

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted similar heartbeat bills, while Missouri lawmakers approved an eight-week ban on abortion. Alabama has gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.

None of the bans has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges.

NETFLIX THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF GEORGIA OVER HEARTBEAT BILL — HERE’S WHY IT WON’T

Louisiana’s prohibition would take hold only if neighboring Mississippi’s law is upheld by a federal appeals court. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Mississippi law Friday.

In that respect, the new law is somewhat similar to a 2006 “trigger law,” signed into law by then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat. That law effectively would ban all abortions, except where the mother’s health is in jeopardy, immediately if the Supreme Court ever reversed Roe, the seminal case that established a constitutional right to privacy and prescribed a limited right to an abortion that the high court has later refined.

On Tuesday, in a 20-page concurring opinion in an abortion-related case on fetal remains, Justice Clarence Thomas previewed what is likely to become an all-out legislative and judicial brawl over the topic in the coming years.

Thomas openly likened abortion to birth control and eugenics, citing the statistics of minorities affected by abortion, and argued that the dissenting opinion by liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “makes little sense.”

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“Given the potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation,” Thomas wrote, “the court will soon need to confront the constitutionality of laws like Indiana’s.”

Ginsburg shot back that one of Thomas’ footnotes “displays more heat than light.” </s> Missouri Governor Mike Parson has signed a bill which will make abortions illegal after the eighth week of pregnancy, joining five other US states that have recently adopted similar legislation.

Doctors who perform abortions in Missouri after the eight-week cutoff could face up to 15 years in prison under the new law, scheduled to come into effect on August 28. It does not provide for prosecution of expectant mothers who decide to end their own pregnancies.

The bill includes exemptions for medical emergencies, when there is risk of serious injury or death to the mother, though no exceptions are made for victims of incest or rape.

Out of the five similar bills that recently passed, only Georgia’s included the rape and incest exemption.

Alabama signed its own abortion ban into law last week, the “Human Life Protection Act,” which will criminalize the abortion procedure outright as a felony punishable up to 99 years in prison – applicable only to doctors. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill almost immediately after it passed the state Senate.

Earlier this month, within days of one another, Ohio, Georgia and Mississippi passed a trio of “fetal heartbeat” laws, which prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, about the period of time before doctors can detect a heartbeat in a fetus.

Federal Judge Carlton Reeves blocked the Mississippi legislation on Friday, having previously struck down a proposed 15-week ban.

“Doesn't it boil down to six is less than 15?” Reeves asked at a hearing earlier this week, adding that the new bill “smacks of defiance to this court.”

A hub of the entertainment industry, Georgia’s law struck a particular chord with American celebrities, even prompting actress and #MeToo figurehead Alyssa Milano to call for a “sex strike,” apparently meant to shame pro-life men out of their politics by denying them sex.

A number of film and television production companies announced they would stop doing business in Georgia in response to the law.

Louisiana has yet to fully enact its prohibition, but two bills that have blazed through the state’s Senate, would do just that. In early May, the Louisiana Senate overwhelmingly approved another “heartbeat” bill 31-5, while a constitutional amendment that would remove protections for abortions more recently passed 31-4.

Other states such as Kansas and Vermont have moved to reaffirm legal protections for abortion, while some prosecutors in Georgia as well as Utah, where an 18-week ban passed earlier this year, said they would not enforce the new laws.

Like this story? Share it with a friend! </s> DES MOINES, Iowa >> Republican lawmakers with control of the Iowa statehouse fast-tracked a bill early Wednesday that would ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy, sending what could be the nation’s most restrictive abortion legislation to the governor.

Critics say the so-called “heartbeat” bill would ban the medical procedure before some women even know they’re pregnant, and it sets the state up for a legal challenge over its constitutionality.

“How dare we think that the privacy and decisions of a woman and her medical choices are up to us to determine?” said Rep. Vicki Lensing, an Iowa City Democrat, during House floor debate that began early afternoon Tuesday and stretched until shortly before midnight. “I am personally offended by this bill that seems to second-guess a woman’s ability to make an unintended and difficult decision.”

The measure was passed with nearly back-to-back chamber votes along party lines, culminating in approval in the Senate shortly after 2 a.m. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is anti-abortion but hasn’t said publicly if she will sign it into law. Her press secretary, Brenna Smith, indicated in an email the governor was open to signing it.

“Governor Reynolds is 100 percent pro-life and will never stop fighting for the unborn,” Smith said.

The legislation passed overnight has some exemptions, allowing abortions after a detectable heartbeat in order to save a pregnant woman’s life, and in some cases of rape and incest. Another provision prohibits some uses of fetal tissue, with exemptions for research.

Republicans at the Iowa Capitol have long sought to approve legislation that would further restrict abortion, and their flip of the state Senate chamber in the 2016 election gave them a trifecta of GOP power for the first time in nearly 20 years. Last session, they passed a bill banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, which is in effect. A provision in that legislation requiring a three-day waiting period for abortions — among the longest wait periods in the country — was challenged in court. It remains on hold amid litigation being considered by the state Supreme Court.

“A baby has become something we can throw away. This bill says it’s time to change the way we think about unborn life,” said Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Janesville Republican.

If passed, the legislation could face challenges claiming it violates U.S. Supreme Court rulings, including Roe v. Wade. Some Republicans say they want the bill to abolish the landmark 1973 ruling that says women have a right to terminate pregnancies until a fetus is viable.

“I would love for the United States Supreme Court to look at this bill and have this as a vehicle to overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Sen. Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel.

Several states have attempted to advance abortion bans in recent years. Mississippi passed a law earlier this year banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but it’s on hold after a court challenge. A federal appeals court, whose territory includes Iowa, rejected heartbeat bills passed in 2013 in North Dakota and Arkansas. The U.S. Supreme Court then declined to review the cases.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs a heartbeat bill that bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law’s effective date is tied to a similar Mississippi law which has already been temporarily blocked by a federal court.