DES MOINES – The Iowa House approved a bill that bans the sale or donation of fetal tissue.
House File 2329 prohibits a person from knowingly acquiring, providing, receiving, transferring, or using a fetal body part in Iowa, regardless of whether the acquisition is for value. This prohibits the sale or donation of fetal tissue in Iowa.
The prohibition does not apply to: diagnostic or remedial tests, procedures, or
Judiciary observations to determine the life or health of the fetus or pregnant woman; the final disposition of a fetal body part; or pathological study. The bill was amended on the floor to apply to fetal body parts aborted after the effective date of the Act. This allows research institutions in the state to continue using samples that were obtained before the passage of the bill.
Lobbyists for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa were against the bill, as was the ACLU. Some lobbyists representing religious groups supported the bill. The Iowa House is controlled by Republicans’ the bill’s future in the Senate is questionable, as it is controlled by Democrats.
A person who violates this law is guilty of a class “c” felony, punishable by a con- finement of no more than 10 years and a fine of at least $1,000.