No media outlet has covered Iowa’s birth increase.

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the enforcement date of Iowa’s Heartbeat Act. This law, which was signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, legally protects preborn children after six weeks’ gestation.

This anniversary received a considerable amount of coverage from media outlets in the Hawkeye State. The Des Moines Register, Iowa Public Radio, KCCI, KGAN, and WHO Channel 13 were among the news outlets than ran stories about the pro-life law this week.

Data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services indicates that the number of abortions performed in Iowa has fallen dramatically since the Heartbeat Act took effect. In the first six months of 2024, 1,196 abortions took place in Iowa. However, from July to December only 596 abortions were performed. This is a decrease of more than 50 percent.

Of course, most stories about the Heartbeat Act have been quick to point out that there has been an increase in the number of Iowa women who are obtaining abortions in nearby states. However, no media outlet has covered Iowa’s birth increase. This is unfortunate, because birth data clearly show that the Iowa Heartbeat Act has already saved hundreds of lives.

Since Iowa’s Heartbeat Act took effect in late July 2024, it would start having a significant impact on the number of children being born seven months later — in February 2025. Data from Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services show that February to May births in 2025 have increased by nearly 300 when compared with the same time period from last year.

Overall, this adds to a nice body of recent data which show that heartbeat acts save lives. Three separate studies of the Texas Heartbeat Act have found that it has saved over 1,000 lives every month. Also, recent birth data from Florida indicates that Florida’s Heartbeat Act is also saving hundreds of lives every month.  Overall, Governor Reynolds, pro-life state legislators, and pro-life leaders in the Hawkeye State deserve credit for their steadfast support of Iowa’s Heartbeat Act.