The Iowa Senate on Tuesday evening passed Senate File 471, a 20-week abortion ban, on a 32 to 17 bipartisan that included the entire Republican caucus, an independent, and three Democrats.
Iowa law currently only allows abortions during the third trimester if a woman’s life or health is endangered. Senate File 471 states:
- “Any person who intentionally terminates a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, after the pregnancy reaches twenty weeks postfertilization or the fetus achieves viability, whichever occurs earlier, where death of the fetus results.”
- “Any person who attempts to intentionally terminate a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, after the where death of the fetus does not result, commits attempted feticide.”
“Feticide” is a class C felony and attempted “feticide” is a class D felony. The bill allows abortions after 20 weeks by a state licensed physician in the case that the mother’s life is at risk or if the mother is at risk of the irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. The bill also requires that every reasonable effort, that does not endanger the mother, is made to save the life of the baby.
The bill also allows abortions in weeks 20 to 24 by a state licensed physician if a “fetal anomaly incompatible with life” is diagnosed by a state licensed physician in utero.
State Senator Jake Chapman (R-Adel) attempted to amend the bill with a life at conception bill that was ruled not germane. A motion to suspend the rules by Chapman also failed 16 to 33.
The Family Planning Council of Iowa, Iowa Independent Physician Group, Iowa Clinic, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, League of Women Voters of Iowa, ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, and Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence opposed the bill.
Iowa Right to Life and the Iowa Catholic Conference supported the bill. The FAMiLY Leader registered as “undecided” on the bill.
Voting in favor of the bill were State Senators Bill Anderson (R-Pierson), Jerry Behn (R-Boone), Rick Bertrand (R-Sioux City), Tod Bowman (D-Makoqueta), Michael Breitbach (R-Strawberry Point), Waylon Brown (R-St. Ansgar), Jake Chapman (R-Adel), Mark Chelgren (R-Ottumwa), Mark Costello (R-Imogene), Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs), Bill Dix (R-Shell Rock), Jeff Elder (R-State Center), Randy Feenstra (R-Hull), Julian Garrett (R-Indianola), Thomas Greene (R-Burlington), Dennis Guth (R-Klemme), Craig Johnson (R-Independence), David Johnson (I-Oychedan), Tim Kapucian (R-Keystone), Kevin Kinney (D-Oxford), Tim Kraayenbrink (R-Ft. Dodge), Mark Lofgren (R-Muscatine), Ken Rozenboom (R-Oskaloosa), Charles Schneider (R-West Des Moines), Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig), Mark Segebart (R-Vail), Tom Shipley (R-Nodaway), Amy Sinclair (R-Allerton), Roby Smith (R-Davenport), Jack Whitver (R-Ankeny), Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale), and Dan Zumbach (R-Ryan).
Voting against the bill were State Senators Chaz Allen (D-Newton), Tony Bisignano (D-Des Moines), Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City), Nate Boulton (D-Des Moines), Jeff Danielson (D-Cedar Falls), William Dotzler (D-Waterloo), Robert Dvorsky (D-Coralville), Rita Hart (D-Wheatland), Robert Hogg (D-Cedar Rapids), Pam Jochum (D-Dubuque), Jim Lykam (D-Davenport), Liz Mathis (D-Cedar Rapids), Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines), Janet Petersen (D-Des Moines), Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames), Amanda Ragan (D-Mason City), and Rich Taylor (D-Mt. Pleasant).
Wally E. Horn (D-Cedar Rapids) was absent for the vote.