Sharply divided court maintains ban on Iowa’s fetal-heartbeat law

A sharply divided Iowa Supreme Court on Friday let stand an injunction blocking the enforcement of a law that attempted to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

With the court divided 3-3 on the question of whether the injunction should stand, a lower court’s decision to keep the ban in place was automatically affirmed. The action marks a major victory — for now, at least — for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and other pro-choice forces. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican legislative leaders said Friday they were reviewing their options for restricting abortion.