Iowa Democrats hope to run out clock on GOP abortion restrictions

DES MOINES - Iowa House Republicans launched an 'all-out assault on women” with a proposal to ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, according to Democrats on the Human Resources Committee.

Tuesday afternoon the committee was scheduled to take up Senate File 471, a bill that would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. The GOP offered an amendment that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Minority Democrats hoped to indefinitely delay action on the amendment and the bill, which was approved in the Senate 32-17.

'We won't be going to the meeting tonight,” Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said. 'We will be working on strategy, developing amendment and coming up with as strategy to make this, at least, better.”

Democrats would be doing that in caucus - a closed-door meeting. Under legislative rules, the bill must be approved by a House committee before the Friday funnel deadline to remain eligible for consideration. Staying in caucus 'until it dies” would be worth it, Wessel-Kroeschell said about the bill.

'Read this amendment. This takes away rights of women to make their reproductive health decisions. All of their rights. Not just a few,” Wessel-Kroeschell said. 'If it only passes for a few years, that's a few years of women who have no choice about their reproductive health care.”

However, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, doesn't think the amendment or bill will die.

'Life is an important topic to Iowans,” she said. 'We hear that at the doors, at forums, so this is another opportunity to pass a bill, perhaps, that is a pro-life bill and we'll see where it goes.”

The House passed a 20-week abortion ban in the past and will continue to look for opportunities to limit abortion. Also, she said, the discussion about restricting abortion has been going on throughout the current session in many forms - the 20-week abortion ban, a personhood bill and now the fetal heartbeat language.

Democrats were prepared to oppose SF 471, but said they were unaware of the GOP 'sneak attack” until Tuesday afternoon.

'This is the latest example of Republicans rushing through a special interest agenda without giving Iowans an opportunity to speak, Wessel-Kroeschell said at a news conference.

The amendment is extreme in that it would make abortion illegal as early as six weeks into a pregnancy when a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

'This bill would take away a woman's right to make her own medical decisions before she had known she had a decision to make,” Wessel-Kroeschell said.

Courts have struck down similar laws in other states, she said.

'There is no question the amendment is unconstitutional,” Wessel-Kroeschell said.

Upmeyer acknowledged that Friday's funnel deadline does make a difference, but said if Democrats want to run out the clock, 'we have many opportunities to do things through different committees and end up with a bill if that's what we want to do.”

She and House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, disagreed whether the majority party can call for a vote if the minority party is delaying action.

However, Upmeyer called from bringing the bill out of committee to the House floor.

'That is the best place to have the debate,” the speaker said. 'We won't resolve anything sitting in caucus. Let's hope we can have a discussion and move forward.”

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