If Reynolds does sign the bill, it will likely be challenged in court for potentially infringing on the constitutional right to abortion laid out for women in Roe v Wade. But perhaps most alarmingly of all, this doesn’t appear to be a major source of concern for some Republican lawmakers: in fact, quite the opposite.

While debating the legislation this week, Iowa Republicans said they hope the law will face a legal challenge, so that it can advance to the US Supreme Court. Donald Trump has appointed more conservative federal judges since becoming president, which means the anti-choice argument may be heard more sympathetically than in previous years.

“I would love for the United States Supreme Court to look at this bill and have this as a vehicle to overturn Roe v Wade,” said Republican Senator Jake Chapman.

The bill isn’t the first attempt to drastically curtail women’s reproductive rights in the US. In August 2017, Texas passed a law that stripped abortion coverage from all healthcare insurance policies, meaning that women seeking a termination would have to pay up-front for extra coverage.

In October, meanwhile, the Trump administration backed a bill that would criminalise all abortions in the US after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, has yet to pass the US Senate.

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US state criminalises abortion ‘before most women realise they’re pregnant’