Right to counsel

Minors seeking a waiver of the parental notification requirement for an abortion have a right to counsel upon request, including for the appeal.  Iowa Code § 135L.3(3)(b), Iowa Ct. R. 8.24.  And the minor must be informed of their right to counsel. See Iowa Code § 135L.3(3)(b) (“[t]he court shall advise the pregnant minor of the pregnant minor’s right to court-appointed legal counsel"; Iowa Ct. R. 8.24 (“The clerk shall inform the [pregnant] minor that she has a right to a court-appointed attorney without cost to her”).

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Note: Since the U.S. Supreme Court decision's in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 142 S.Ct. 2228 (2022), the laws governing abortion are complicated and rapidly changing.  This major development may not be current since Dobbs.  For up-to-date information about the status of abortion by state, please see Center for Reproductive Rights, After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State.