Iowa lawmakers passed the Heartbeat Protection Act in a special session Tuesday night, leading one pro-life representative to say, “Iowans recognize the humanity of unborn children with beating hearts and won’t rest until they are protected.”
“Today, the Iowa legislature once again voted to protect life and end abortion at a heartbeat, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced Tuesday following the legislature’s approval of the measure.
Anti-life protesters demonstrated at the Iowa Capitol as the legislature voted on the bill.
“The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass the same law they did in 2018, and today they have a clear answer,” the governor said. “The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed.”
Reynolds’ attempt to revive Iowa’s 2018 heartbeat abortion ban was blocked by the courts.
The text of the legislation reads:
Except in the case of a medical emergency or fetal heartbeat exception, a physician shall not perform an abortion unless the physician has first complied with the prerequisites of chapter 146A and has tested the pregnant woman as specified in this subsection, to determine if a fetal heartbeat is detectable.
Reynolds, who called for the special session that led to the approval of the bill that will ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, generally at six weeks, said she plans to sign the bill into law on Friday.
“As a pro-life Governor, I am also committed to continuing policies to support women in planning for motherhood, promote the importance of fatherhood, and encourage strong families,” the governor vowed. “Our state and country will be stronger because of it.”
Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America’s Western Regional Director Adam Schwend praised Iowa lawmakers for protecting the unborn:
Iowans recognize the humanity of unborn children with beating hearts and won’t rest until they are protected. We thank the legislature for acting swiftly on the will of the people. We’re especially grateful to Gov. Reynolds for calling this special session and her tireless leadership in the fight for life over the years. These protections will save lives.
According to a press statement from SBA Pro-Life America, both Schwend and Tara Sander Lee, Ph.D., a Harvard-trained fetal development expert who serves as vice president and director of life sciences at the affiliated Charlotte Lozier Institute, testified in support of the Heartbeat Protection Act.
Sander Lee explained during her testimony that the presence of a heartbeat at six to eight weeks gestation indicates as much as a 98 percent chance that a baby will survive to birth, the press release said.
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Susan Berry, PhD is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Kim Reynolds” by Kim Reynolds.
