On Tuesday July 11 the 90th General Assembly of Iowa held a special legislative session to debate the Heartbeat Bill. Governor Reynolds called for this special session following the June 16 Iowa Supreme Court decision, which was a 3-3 stalemate, allowing an injunction on the 2018 Heartbeat Bill to stand and render the law unenforceable. One justice’s opinion referred to the original legislation as based upon “hypotheticals” due to the fact that Roe v. Wade was the law of the land and in force at the time. After the Dobbs decision last year, Governor Reynolds filed for injunctive relief, which led to the Iowa Supreme Court’s opinion basically telling the legislative branch to do it again.
On Tuesday the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate held floor debate on the Heartbeat Bill, House File 732. The bill prohibits a physician from performing an abortion if a fetal heartbeat has been detected during an abdominal ultrasound unless in the medical judgement of the physician it is a medical emergency or a fetal heartbeat exception. There are several exceptions in the law if an pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, and fetal abnormalities incompatible with life. There is an exception in the event of medical emergencies to protect and preserve the life of the mother, and an exception if the mother’s life is endangered due to a physical disorder, physical illness or physical injury including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy. In fact, the state of Iowa has provided exceptions for the health of the mother since 1858 when the first prohibition on abortions up-to-birth were enacted. This bill does not hold a woman criminally or civilly liable for having an abortion. This law ensures all life is protected when a heartbeat is detected.
I am for protecting the unborn. I believe in the sanctity of life, and I voted for the Heartbeat Bill. I am keenly aware of the challenges my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talked about, but through all of the discussion I heard, the fact remains that this baby is a human being who deserves the right to be born. I supported this bill because it provides protections for both the life of the mother and the life of the baby whose very existence innocently hangs in the balance of this decision. I also continue to strongly support policy that provides all Iowa families the resources they may need during an unplanned pregnancy.
I received hundreds of emails both for and against the Heartbeat Bill. I read through them and took your comments to heart, whether we may agree or not. I want to thank you for those emails and your personal testimonies.
Senator Dave Rowley
