This story was updated Friday, July 7 at 4:55 p.m.
Iowa Republican lawmakers plan to consider another “fetal heartbeat” billduring a special legislative session Tuesday.
It would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, which can be as early as six weeks after a person’s last period. The proposal has exceptions for rape, incest, miscarriage treatment, fetal abnormalities incompatible with life, and medical emergencies.
The bill is almost identical to the one Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in 2018. That law never took effect, and the Iowa Supreme Court declined to reinstate it last month for procedural reasons.
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said in a statement Friday that Republicans are “unapologetically pro-life.”
“We believe strongly that the 2018 heartbeat law was a good piece of legislation that will save many innocent lives,” he said. “It is past time for the will of Iowans to be heard and for the heartbeat bill with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, to be the law of the land in Iowa.”
Abortion is currently legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said Democrats will fight for reproductive freedom.
“Republican politicians have proved yet again that they only listen to the special interests, not Iowans,” she said. “Their bill to ban abortion is deadly for Iowa women, and a strong majority of Iowans support reproductive freedom.”
The House of Representatives has scheduled a public hearing on the bill for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 11. Iowans cansign up online to speak in person in room 103 of the Iowa Capitol.
The Iowa Senate is planning a subcommittee hearing on the bill for 11 a.m.
Republican leaders are also seeking to put time limits on debate of the bill. Proposed rules for the Iowa Senate say final votes on amendments and the bill will be taken at or before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The bill would take effect immediately when signed into law. But it’s very likely to face a legal challenge and could be blocked from enforcement. The abortion ban could again be considered by the Iowa Supreme Court.
The original story below was published Wednesday, July 5.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking lawmakers to return to Des Moines for a special legislative session beginning July 11 to restrict abortion.
In her announcement Wednesday, Reynolds did not specify what abortion law the Republican-majority legislature will pass when they convene.
The special session is scheduled to begin less than a month after the Iowa Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 on Reynolds’ request to reinstate the “fetal heartbeat” law she signed in 2018. That law never took effect. Last month’s Iowa Supreme Court decision kept abortion legal in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“This lack of action disregards the will of Iowa voters and lawmakers who will not rest until the unborn are protected by law,” Reynolds said in a statement Wednesday.
She said the sole purpose of the special session will be to restrict abortion.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said the majority of Iowanssupport reproductive freedom, and Democrats will fight to protect that.
“Everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion,” Konfrst said. “Politicians and judges have no place interfering in someone else’s decisions about when to start a family.”
Spokespersons for Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver declined to comment Wednesday.
Last month, Grassley and Whitver said they would work to restrict abortion following the Iowa Supreme Court's inaction.
Republican leaders did not advance any new abortion restrictions during the regular legislative session that started in January and ended in May. They said they were waiting for the Iowa Supreme Court decision.
A group of House Republicans introduced a bill to ban all abortions, but it did not get a single hearing.
Reynolds haspreviously declined to saywhat kind of abortion law she would support if the courts gave her free rein to ban abortion. Last month's Iowa Supreme Court decision did not establish a new legal standard for reviewing abortion laws in the state.
Any new abortion restrictions will likely be challenged and end up before the Iowa Supreme Court.
One of the seven justices recused herself from the latest abortion decision because of a conflict of interest. But if all seven justices participate in the next abortion decision, they could decide if abortion rights should get some protection in the state or no protection.
