Bill to shield company from cancer lawsuits will likely re-emerge next session

Readers may remember seeing multiple full-page ads recently in The Gazette thanking “legislators for standing up for Iowa farmers” by advocating for SF2412. What the ads didn’t say is that SF 2412 is a bill written by Bayer which would protect the corporation from lawsuits brought by farmers, rural residents, and suburban lawn owners for health damages caused by their weed killer, Roundup.

Bayer has been sued, and has lost, in multiple jurisdictions because of the link between using Roundup and cancer. Bayer has introduced this bill into several Midwestern legislatures to protect themselves from further lawsuits.

SF 2412 failed to move forward in Iowa last time and will certainly be reintroduced in the next session. It is not about supporting farmers. It’s about shielding a multinational pesticide manufacturer from responsibility for the damage done to Iowans by their products.

Laura Krouse

Mount Vernon