Des Moines, Iowa - Iowa's Republican lawmakers passed a bill banning most abortion care after about six weeks of pregnancy Tuesday during a special session.

Iowa passes a "heartbeat bill" banning most abortions after six weeks, while abortion rights advocates protested at the capitol building on July 11.

The bill passed late Tuesday night with exclusively Republican support during the rare extended special session called by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. Her office has said she plans to sign the bill Friday.

Governor Reynolds ordered the special one-day session after a deadlock in the state supreme court left a six-week abortion ban from 2018 unenforceable about a month ago.

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After the bill's passage, Governor Reynolds issued a statement saying: "The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed."

During the special session, Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates protested at the state capitol throughout the day.

Iowa's bill bans almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy –before many people know they are pregnant.

Under the new measure, abortion care would be allowed after six weeks in very limited circumstances, as The Associated Press reported. These include rape – but only if it is reported within 45 days – incest, fetal abnormality that is "incompatible with life," and a pregnancy that poses a danger to life.

Abortion rights advocates are already working to file legal challenges against the new measure to get it blocked.

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"The ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood, and the Emma Goldman Clinic remain committed to protecting the reproductive rights of Iowans to control their bodies and their lives, their health, and their safety –including filing a lawsuit to block this reckless, cruel law," ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer said in a statement.

The passage of this bill puts an end to Iowa's rare status as a Republican-led state in which abortions are legal up to 20 weeks.