Iowa Code » Chapter 146E — ABORTION — FETAL HEARTBEAT
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 146E.2 (2026)

Abortion — fetal heartbeat — exceptions

✓ current as of July 2026
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1. Except in the case of a medical emergency or fetal heartbeat exception, a physician shall not perform an abortion unless the physician has first complied with the prerequisites of chapter 146A and has tested the pregnant woman as specified in this subsection, to determine if a fetal heartbeat is detectable. a. In testing for a detectable fetal heartbeat, the physician shall perform an abdominal ultrasound, necessary to detect a fetal heartbeat according to standard medical practice and including the use of medical devices, as determined by standard medical practice and specified by rule of the board of medicine. b. Following the testing of the pregnant woman for a detectable fetal heartbeat, the physician shall inform the pregnant woman, in writing, of all of the following: (1) Whether a fetal heartbeat was detected. (2) That if a fetal heartbeat was detected, an abortion is prohibited. c. Upon receipt of the written information, the pregnant woman shall sign a form acknowledging that the pregnant woman has received the information as required under this subsection. 2. a. A physician shall not perform an abortion upon a pregnant woman when it has been determined that the unborn child has a detectable fetal heartbeat, unless, in the physician’s reasonable medical judgment, a medical emergency or fetal heartbeat exception exists. b. Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, if a physician determines that the probable postfertilization age, as defined in section 146B.1, of the unborn child is twenty or more weeks, the physician shall not perform an abortion upon a pregnant woman when it has been determined that the unborn child has a detectable fetal heartbeat, unless in the physician’s reasonable medical judgment the pregnant woman has a condition which the physician\n\nTue Dec 09 22:26:12 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 146E (8, 0) §146E.2, ABORTION — FETAL HEARTBEAT 2\n\ndeems a medical emergency, as defined in section 146B.1, or the abortion is necessary to preserve the life of an unborn child. 3. A physician shall retain in the woman’s medical record all of the following: a. Documentation of the testing for a fetal heartbeat as specified in subsection 1 and the results of the fetal heartbeat test. b. The pregnant woman’s signed form acknowledging that the pregnant woman received the information as required under subsection 1. 4. This section shall not be construed to impose civil or criminal liability on a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this section. 5. The board of medicine shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. 2023 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 1, §2, 3\n\nTue Dec 09 22:26:12 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 146E (8, 0)

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2024–2024 · leading case: Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024).
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Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). · cites it 5× “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). · cites it 5× “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
— Iowa Code § 146E.2(2)(a) — 2 cases
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
— Iowa Code § 146E.2(2)(b) — 2 cases
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
— Iowa Code § 146E.2(b) — 2 cases
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc., Emma Goldman Clinic, & Sarah Traxler M.D. v. Kim Reynolds ex rel. State of Iowa, & Iowa Bd. of Med. (Iowa 2024). “See Iowa Code § 146E.2. Frankly, in many of these situations, they serve as an- other example of how this statute prioritizes the unborn over the living, placing pregnant women in grave harm in the process.”
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