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The Iowa Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to determine whether state regulators were legitimately trying to protect patient safety when they ordered limits on a telemedicine abortion system, or whether they were just trying to restrict access to a legal medical service. The arguments centered on the Iowa Board of Medicine's 2013 ruling that doctors must perform in-person physical examinations before dispensing abortion pills. The rule would effectively bar use of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland's telemedicine system, which allows urban doctors to offer the service to small-town patients over a computer video linkup. (Leys, 3/11)

The issue of abortion may be grabbing the attention in a case argued Wednesday before the Iowa Supreme Court, but the case could have broader implications for telehealth practices and state boards of medicine, experts said. The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Inc. and Dr. Jill Meadows v. Iowa Board of Medicine, a case that focuses on the question of whether abortions should be allowed through telemedicine in Iowa. (Schencker, 3/11)

As lawmakers, students and advocates from across the state gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to participate in a Planned Parenthood rally, several lawmakers posted signs outside their offices declaring themselves a "former fetus." The signs, distributed by the Texas Right to Life organization, were displayed as a response to the Planned Parenthood Rally and lobby day. (Mekelburg, 3/11)