(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Medicine’s rules for enforcing a six-week abortion ban in Iowa have cleared final review by a legislative committee. Governor Reynolds signed the Fetal Heartbeat Act into law in July, but it’s been on hold due to a legal challenge. The Iowa Supreme Court will hear legal arguments over the law this Thursday. Senator Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, says the rules aren’t clear and could make in vitro fertilization illegal in Iowa.

“Because so much of this bill did really not include medical terminology when it was passed,” Winckler said. The rules for the law will technically go into effect April 24th, but a deputy attorney general says the rules won’t be enforced until the Iowa Supreme Court upholds the law. Winckler was the only committee member to raise an objection.

“I think that it is unfortunate that we have these rules in place and will be in effect before the court case is determined,” she said. If Iowa’s six week abortion ban is ruled constitutional, the Board of Medicine’s rules say a physician could be disciplined for performing an abortion after fetal activity is detected, usually about the sixth week of a pregnancy, but the rules do not specify whether that means the doctor would be fined or lose their license to practice medicine in Iowa.