Swordsmyth
05-04-2018, 10:18 PM
In the wee hours of Wednesday, the Iowa legislature passed a bill that would ban abortion once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected, a measure that would become the most restrictive in the nation if signed by Governor Kim Reynolds (R).
According to the Des Moines Register (https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/02/iowa-legislature-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-senate-file-359-governor-kim-reynolds/571960002/), “The bill requires physicians to conduct an abdominal ultrasound to test for a fetal heartbeat on any woman seeking an abortion. If that heartbeat is detected, a physician cannot perform an abortion.” That means, in essence, that abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy would be prohibited; Iowa already bans abortion after the 20th week.
“A baby has become something we can throw away. This bill says it’s time to change the way we think about unborn life,” said (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_XGR_ABORTION_IOWA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) Representative Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville).
Getting the bill passed wasn’t easy. The Senate approved similar legislation earlier this year, but it stalled in the House of Representatives. “In an effort to force the House into action, Sen. Rick Bertrand, (R-Sioux City), said a group of Republican senators had threatened to withhold their votes on critical budget bills needed to end the 2018 legislative session,” reported the Register.
With some rape and incest exceptions added to the bill, the House approved it around 11 p.m. Tuesday; all Democrats and six Republicans voted against it. About three hours later, the Senate passed it in a party-line vote.
The bill now heads to Reynolds’ desk. While declaring herself “proud to be pro-life,” Reynolds declined to state whether she would sign the measure, saying she would have to “review it” before making a decision.
More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/family/item/28966-iowa-legislature-passes-bill-banning-abortion-after-heartbeat-detection
According to the Des Moines Register (https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/02/iowa-legislature-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-senate-file-359-governor-kim-reynolds/571960002/), “The bill requires physicians to conduct an abdominal ultrasound to test for a fetal heartbeat on any woman seeking an abortion. If that heartbeat is detected, a physician cannot perform an abortion.” That means, in essence, that abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy would be prohibited; Iowa already bans abortion after the 20th week.
“A baby has become something we can throw away. This bill says it’s time to change the way we think about unborn life,” said (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_XGR_ABORTION_IOWA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) Representative Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville).
Getting the bill passed wasn’t easy. The Senate approved similar legislation earlier this year, but it stalled in the House of Representatives. “In an effort to force the House into action, Sen. Rick Bertrand, (R-Sioux City), said a group of Republican senators had threatened to withhold their votes on critical budget bills needed to end the 2018 legislative session,” reported the Register.
With some rape and incest exceptions added to the bill, the House approved it around 11 p.m. Tuesday; all Democrats and six Republicans voted against it. About three hours later, the Senate passed it in a party-line vote.
The bill now heads to Reynolds’ desk. While declaring herself “proud to be pro-life,” Reynolds declined to state whether she would sign the measure, saying she would have to “review it” before making a decision.
More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/family/item/28966-iowa-legislature-passes-bill-banning-abortion-after-heartbeat-detection