DES MOINES – The General Assembly of the Iowa Legislature convened this morning, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at 8:30 AM for a special session with the sole purpose of enacting legislation that addresses abortion and protects unborn lives.
“Iowans have elected representatives willing to stand up for the rights of the unborn and, in doing so, they have voted strongly in support of pro-life principles and against the arbitrary destruction of innocent, defenseless lives,” Governor Kim Reynolds said days ago when she announced the special session would take place.
“In 2018, I proposed, the legislature passed, and I proudly signed into law legislation that protected unborn babies from abortion once a heartbeat was detectable. After years of litigation, the Iowa Supreme Court was split 3-3 last month in its opinion regarding whether a lower court’s injunction of the Fetal Heartbeat Law should be dissolved. This lack of action disregards the will of Iowa voters and lawmakers who will not rest until the unborn are protected by law.
“I believe the pro-life movement is the most important human rights cause of our time. Not only will I continue to fight against the inhumanity of abortion, but I will also remain committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, promoting fatherhood and parenting, and continuing policies that encourage strong families. These are the most essential building blocks of our society, and they are what will keep the foundation of our state and country strong for generations to come.”
The bill will likely pass, as the Legislature is run in both chambers by the GOP.
Currently, Iowa law allows abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
A year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 case that established a constitutional right for an individual to get an abortion. The issue was tossed back to the individual states to determine if abortions would be allowed in their domains. Since then, 15 states have made abortion illegal in all circumstances.
In June, the matter finally came up in Iowa, and the Iowa Supreme Court decided access to abortion should remain legal here. The Iowa Supreme Court split 3-3 on Governor Kim Reynolds’ efforts to reinstate the 2018 six-week abortion ban.
Back in 2020, Reynolds signed bill HF594: an Act relating to medical procedures including abortion and limitations regarding the withdrawal of a life-sustaining procedure from a minor child – a 24-hour waiting period.
Iowa Democrats, meanwhile, recently said that “while the Governor and Republican leaders are still deciding what comes next, Democratic lawmakers in the Statehouse have pledged to fight for the reproductive freedom of all Iowans.”
At six weeks, most women don’t even realize they may be pregnant, which is exactly why MAGA phony religious types want this nonsense. These misogynist, racist bigots want MORE WHITE BABIES, and they’re trying to force Iowa women to have them. There were many protestors and shoving matches at the legislature today, and that’s just the beginning. Wait and see.
They may want more white babies but the opposite will happen and years down the line they will be outnumbered.