Iowa

No matter their age, every person in Iowa has the legal right to get an abortion. But the state restricts abortions in some ways.

In Iowa, all abortions must be performed before 20 weeks unless the patient’s life or health is endangered.

Iowa requires that doctors give you an {{ultrasound}{An ultrasound is a test they will do at the abortion clinic to confirm that you are pregnant and figure out how many weeks pregnant you are}} and offer to let you look at the picture, but you are not required to look if you do not want to.

Iowa also has a telemedicine program through Carafem, which lets you get an abortion without needing to travel to an abortion clinic if you meet their requirements. You can find more information on Carafem in Iowa here.

In order for someone under age 18 to have an abortion in Iowa, a parent or {{guardian}{A legal guardian has a court order stating that they have the legal authority and duty to care for a minor. This is different from a foster parent}} must be told about the abortion at least 48 hours before you get the abortion. This is called parental notification or parental notice. This only means that they will know about the abortion. It does not mean you need their permission to get an abortion. The doctor only needs to notify one parent or guardian.

At least 48 hours before they provide the abortion, a doctor has to give {{actual notice}{The doctor has to give notice in a way that makes sure the person actually received it}} to either: 

• one or both of your parents (whether they have custody of you or not) 
• or your {{legal guardian}{A legal guardian has a court order stating that they have the legal authority and duty to care for a minor. This is different from a foster parent}}
• or one of your grandparents 

If you feel safe and want to involve a parent in your decision to have an abortion, you can talk to them about your decision to have an abortion and let them know to expect a notification letter from your doctor. Your parent/guardian can also write you a letter ahead of time so you can skip the notification process. Your clinic can tell you more about writing this type of letter.

If you would prefer to notify a grandparent, you would need to write a letter for your doctor explaining why you don’t want to or can’t tell a parent and would rather involve a grandparent instead. Then your doctor can send the notification to your grandparent and ask if they agree to accept the notice.

Even if another supportive adult or foster parent supports your decision, they cannot be the ones that receive notice of the abortion. This means that you will either need to have your legal parent or guardian receive notice, or you can ask a supportive adult to help you get a judicial bypass.

Your doctor can explain more about the notification process during your appointment. It is the doctor’s job to send out or give that notification, not yours. The doctor may send the notification through the mail to you where your parent or guardian lives or they may deliver in person. 

If you cannot or do not want the clinic tell your parent or guardian, you can go to court and ask a judge to allow you to get an abortion. This is called a judicial bypass.

If you are married or an {{emancipated}{An emancipated minor went through a legal process and has court order stating that they are freed from their parents and are legally an adult}} minor, you can get an abortion without telling a parent or getting a judicial bypass.

Not everyone can involve their parent in their decision to have an abortion. If you cannot or choose not to talk to your parent, there is another option called a judicial bypass. A judicial bypass means asking a judge to allow you to get an abortion without telling your parent. 

This is a legal process that a lawyer can help you with. You do not need a lawyer, but you can have a lawyer for free if you want one. All you need to do is ask the court for one. Your lawyer’s job is to represent you in court. That means they are there to help you ask for what you want. Even if the lawyer was given to you by the court, it is your lawyer’s job to help you ask the court for what you want.

1. If you already know which clinic you would like to go to, start by contacting them to schedule an {{ultrasound}{An ultrasound is a test they will do at the abortion clinic to confirm that you are pregnant and figure out how many weeks pregnant you are}}. Iowa requires that doctors give you an {{ultrasound}{An ultrasound is a test they will do at the abortion clinic to confirm that you are pregnant and figure out how many weeks pregnant you are}} and offer to let you look at the picture, but you are not required to look if you do not want to.

If you do not know which clinic you want to go to, here is a list of clinics. You can also visit the Planned Parenthood website here to find a clinic near you. You also can go to a clinic outside of the state you live in.

When you call the clinic, tell them that you are a minor and need help with a judicial bypass. Clinics can also tell you more about the process and answer your questions.

2. To ask a judge for a judicial bypass, you must file a {{petition}{A petition is a form you fill in with information that tells the court what you are asking for}} with a {{clerk}{A clerk is someone who works for the court, they are the ones that usually accept forms and schedule meetings with the judge}} at a district court. You can file a petition in any district court in Iowa, it does not have to be in the county where you live or in the county where you plan to get an abortion. You can ask the clerk at the court for more information about filing your petition. You can look up your district and court information here.

You can find the petition form courts in Iowa use by going to the Iowa courts website iowacourts.gov and searching in the search bar for “Petition for Waiver of Parental Notification of Minor’s Abortion”. You will need to check with the court in the county where you are filing to make sure these are the right forms for that court.  

This petition form is where:

• You can say you want to court to provide a lawyer for you, or if you already have a lawyer you can also give the court the lawyer’s contact information.
• You can tell the court if you have a “responsible adult” with you to help you with the judicial bypass process. You don’t have to have someone with you, but if you want to have someone with you, this person does not need to be a parent. They just need to be someone 18 years or older that is not connected with your doctor or the clinic where you are getting your abortion.
• You tell the court if you have seen the Iowa Department of Public Health Video. Iowa generally requires that pregnant people under 18 watch a video that talks about different options they have when it comes to the pregnancy and should include information about abortion and how someone under 18 can access an abortion in the state.

In some cases, the court may assign you a {{guardian ad litem}{A Guardian Ad Litem is different from a lawyer. A lawyer helps you ask the court for what you want. A Guardian Ad Litem will make a decision that they think is the right one for you and it may not be what you want}}

if you do not have an adult with you or if you have not seen the video.

3. After you give the petition to the court, the clerk will tell you when your {{hearing}{A hearing is a meeting with the judge}} will be. The court must schedule a hearing within 48 hours (2 days), but this does not include weekends or holidays.

It is important to talk to your lawyer before the hearing. Your lawyer will have a lot of useful information and advice for you about talking to the judge.

4. You also can go to a clinic outside of the state where you live. If that is the decision you make, please go to the judicial bypass wiki page for that state to learn about its abortion restrictions, which could be very different from Iowa.

At the {{hearing}{A hearing is a meeting with the judge}}, the judge will ask you questions to learn more about you. Since every judge is different, we cannot know exactly what they will ask you, but the judge is trying to decide whether you seem mature enough to make the decision to have an abortion without involving a parent. 

Judges can ask your age, whether you have had a job, if you have lived away from your parents, if you have traveled by yourself, if you have your own money and know what a budget is, what plans you have for the future, and whether you have made other big decisions in your life. The judge might also ask what has happened since you found out you were pregnant, what you think will happen if you don’t have an abortion, and what you did to decide you wanted or needed an abortion. The judge might ask you why you want or need an abortion. 

You can find a list of questions that a judge might ask here.

A judge might also ask questions that are not listed here, but it is a good idea to start thinking about what your answers are to these questions so you are ready if the judge asks. Your lawyer can also help you with this. 

After the {{hearing}{A hearing is a meeting with the judge}}, the judge decides whether they think you are {{mature and capable of providing informed consent}{the judge thinks you can make the decision to get an abortion without talking to your parent first}}, or if it’s in your {{best interest}{the judge thinks it would be better for you not to talk to your parent/s}} not to tell your parent. 

If the judge agrees that you can get an abortion without having to notify a parent or guardian, you will get an {{order}{An official paper that show’s the judge’s decision}} from the court to give to the clinic to show them that you have a judicial bypass.

If the judge doesn’t schedule a hearing within 48 hours or if the judge doesn’t make a decision within 48 hours of when you file your {{petition}{A petition is a form you fill in with information that tells the court what you are asking for}}, it will be considered automatically approved. If this happens, you will also get an order that you can give to your clinic to show them you have a judicial bypass.

To protect your privacy, you can ask court/attorney to send a copy of the court order directly to the clinic for you. 

No, the court has to keep this information confidential. They cannot tell anyone outside of you and the people with you during the {{hearing}{a hearing is a meeting with the judge}}.

No, if you are granted a judicial bypass that means you can get an abortion if you want. It does not mean you are required to and you can always change your mind. The court {{order}{official paper to give to the clinic to show them that you have a judicial bypass}} just means you can make the decision about whether you want or need an abortion without involving your parent/guardian.

If the judge says you cannot get an abortion without consent from your parent, you will get an {{order}{An official paper that show’s the judge’s decision}} saying that, along with information about how to {{appeal}{An appeal is what happens when you do not agree with the judge’s decision and want to try and challenge that decision in court}} the decision. If this happens, you can still get an abortion with the notification of a parent or you can appeal the decision that the judge made.

If you had a lawyer for the {{hearing}{A hearing is a meeting with the judge}}, they can talk to you about the appeal.

The court must make a final decision on any appeal within 10 days, including weekends, from the day after you first turn in your original {{petition}{A petition is a form you fill in with information that tells the court what you are asking for}}.

You may also decide to get an abortion from a different state that does not have a law that requires you to involve your parent. 

You do not have to pay any money to get a judicial bypass. Your clinic may be able to help you cover the cost of your abortion through the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, their website is here. You will need to go through the clinic first to get financial assistance through the fund.

This is a map of abortion clinics in Iowa.

Planned Parenthood of Ames

2530 Chamberlain St, Ames, IA 50014

(877) 811-7526

Planned Parenthood of Cedar Falls

2520 Melrose Dr Suite L, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 

(877) 811-7526

Planned Parenthood of Council Bluffs

1604 2nd Ave, Council Bluffs, IA 51501

(877) 811-7526

Planned Parenthood of Rosenfield

1000 E Army Post Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315

(877) 811-7526

Planned Parenthood of Iowa City

850 Orchard St, Iowa City, IA 52246

(877) 811-7526

Planned Parenthood of Sioux City

4409 Stone Ave, Sioux City, IA 51106

(877) 811-7526

Emma Goldman Clinic

227 N Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52245

(800) 848-7684

Some clinics may have limited service or hours

You can also use these directories to find an abortion clinic near you:

Planned Parenthood: Directory Here (make sure you select abortion in the services drop down menu; some clinics provide counseling, referrals and follow-up exams but don’t directly provide abortion services) 

National Abortion Federation: Directory Here 

Abortion Care Network: Directory Here 

I Need An Abortion: Directory Here