Iowa and Ohio sued over halting abortion amid pandemic
A handful of abortion rights groups filed lawsuits against state officials in Iowa and Ohio on Monday, asking courts to maintain abortion access amid directives suspending "non-essential" medical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the weekend, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' spokesperson told CBS News that the state's order halts "all nonessential or elective surgeries and procedures until April 16, that includes surgical abortion procedures." Earlier this month, Ohio was the first state of a handful to clarify that its directive temporarily halting "non-essential" medical procedures applied to abortion services.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Ohio are asking district courts to block those orders as they apply to abortion services, according to press releases shared with CBS News on Monday.
Emails to the Iowa and Ohio Attorneys General's Office were not immediately returned.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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