DES MOINES, Iowa — January 22 marked the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and abortion is just as much in the spotlight now due to the Supreme Court’s decision this past year to invalidate it.

The Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade in June renewed the national conversation about abortion, but the issue remained prevalent in Iowa throughout 2022.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled a week before the Dobbs decision that abortion is not a protected right within Iowa’s constitution. That decision, in tandem with the national reversal of Roe V. Wade, sparked a positive reaction from Iowa’s governor Kim Reynolds.

“A glimmer of light broke through the darkness in the form of an early indication that the court is prepared to undo this fatal mistake,” Reynolds said shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court announced their official ruling.

The decision led to abortion rights protests throughout the state, including one where thousands of demonstrators marched to the Governor’s Mansion on Terrace Hill.

Additionally, a bill championed by Reynolds to allow abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected was blocked by a Polk County judge in December.