Iowa House debates 20-week abortion ban

DES MOINES - Lawmakers shared stories of pregnancies - theirs and others - as they slow-walked their way toward a decision Tuesday evening on legislation that would ban nearly all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.

However, after three-and-a-half hours of debate, the House deferred on Senate File 471 and adjourned for the night.

Democrats repeatedly questioned language in the bill they said would prohibit the use of many common forms of birth control and ban abortion from fertilization - rather than after 20 weeks.

With a 59-41 majority, House Republicans say they are confident they have the votes to adopt a Human Resources Committee amendment that is similar to, but not identical to SF 471, which was passed 32-17 by the Senate.

Even before the floor debate started, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, warned that Republicans were employing 'circular logic” in constructing the bill in such a way as to make all abortions illegal.

She pointed to the language of the Human Resources Committee amendment - which became the bill - that bans abortions after 20 weeks, but also says 'Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as determining life to begin at 20 weeks post-fertilization. Instead it is recognized that life begins at fertilization.”

'That clearly established there is a backdoor attempt to go back to the language that was before the 20-week ban, which was fertilization,” said Rep. Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines. 'It contradicts itself (because) life begins at conception means that certain forms of birth control are murder.”

He suggested Republicans were trying to be 'too cute by half” in trying to allow the 'more extreme members of their caucus to say they passed life begins at fertilization.”

Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, rejected that, explaining that the 'life begins at fertilization” language was a belief statement.

'There are legislators like myself who don't feel comfortable voting on something that may be interpreted as rendering that life begins merely at 20 weeks because that is where we put a ban on abortions,” he said.

He also rejected the suggestion the GOP majority was trying a backdoor effort to ban all abortions.

'If we were pushing life at conception we would have a life-at-conception bill on the floor today,” Windschitl said. 'Unfortunately, we don't have consensus behind that type of legislation. What we do have is consensus around a 20-week ban.”

The language is not to placate the most ardent anti-abortion members of the caucus or groups pushing for more restrictive language, Windschitl said.

'It's merely a statement of intent so I can go back home and tell my constituents that yes, I believe life begins at conception,” he said. 'I can say I believe life begins post-fertilization. Moving forward, if we can build consensus around other ways to move that concept forward, we're going to try to do that. But right here, right now, today, what we can build a consensus around is banning abortions at 20 weeks and later.”

Several attempts to alter the bill and the committee amendment were offered. Among them was one from Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected - often as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. She withdrew the amendment.

Salmon fought for another amendment requiring a 72-hour waiting period after a woman considering an abortion has had an ultrasound and outlining information she must be presented before an abortion is performed. It was ruled not germane, but Republicans voted 56-40 to suspend the rules and adopted the amendment 56-41.

Wessel-Kroeschell sought an amendment to say that a medical procedure performed because in a physician's 'reasonable medical judgment” it would save the life or improve the health of the fetus would not be considered an abortion. The proposal was ruled not germane. An attempt to suspend the rules was defeated 41-57.

An amendment to specify that SF 471 would not prohibit the use of any means of contraception or fertility treatment not prohibited by federal regulatory agencies also was ruled not germane.

Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, proposed exceptions for the health and life of a mother, fetal anomaly, rape, incest, medical emergency or to preserve the life of the unborn child. It failed 41-54.

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