Bill banning abortion after 20 weeks advances

DES MOINES - Iowa doctors would be barred from performing abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy or face criminal penalties under a bill that won initial approval Tuesday in a Senate panel.

Republicans on a Senate Human Resources subcommittee voted 2-1 to advance Senate File 53, a measure that would not penalize women who seek or get a later-term abortion, but rather create a situation where doctors who perform the abortions could face a felony and up to 10 years in prison.

'I am pro-life and I would like to see it go forward,” said Sen. Mark Costello, R-Imogene, who voted with Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, to forward the bill to the full committee for possible consideration yet this week.

Chelgren acknowledged there were parts of the bill that needed to be revised.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, however, called SF 53 'unnecessary” and unconstitutional, and was joined by critics who argued the medical decisions contemplated in the bill should be made by a woman, her family and her physician - not a politician.

Amanda Acton of Waukee, one of several women who testified about their own experiences with abortion, urged the subcommittee members to reject the bill.

'You will not save lives with this legislation,” Acton said. 'Only 1 percent of abortions occur after 20 weeks, and most women who are deciding to have abortion after 20 weeks are, like me, deciding to prevent the assured suffering of a much-wanted child out of compassion and love.”

Acton said her pregnancy was at week 21 when her doctor told her and husband their baby girl had a rare genetic condition and did not have lungs. She said the decision to have an abortion was difficult, but the humane thing to do.

'I don't regret my abortion, not one little bit,” Acton said, choking back tears. 'It was the right decision and I'm glad that I could make it. Making that decision was the only thing we were able to do with our daughter. I'm lucky we had doctors who stood with us.”

By contrast, Joan Thompson of the Iowa Catholic Conference called current state law 'ultra permissive” when it comes to late-term abortions and urged lawmakers to take advantage of a 'rare opportunity” to join 15 other states that already have placed 'meaningful restriction on abortions performed after 22 weeks gestation or 20 weeks post-fertilization.”

'After facing years of obstacles,” Thompson told the panel, '…we have a path to begin to end the assault on the lives and dignity of women and children and protect the fundamental right to life.”

Backers said senators already have passed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and are moving ahead with a separate bill to declare that life begins at conception. So Tuesday's action provided another option, they said, in case any of the measures fail to clear a legal challenge.

However, Erin Davison-Rippey, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said legislative action during this year's session could well see court action if approved and signed into law.

'This bill would deny women the dignity to make personal and private decisions about their health care. This is a one-size-fits-all, 20-week ban which leaves women essentially in vulnerable and dangerous positions and does not protect women's health,” said Davison-Rippey. 'This bill threatens doctors for exercising their best medical judgment and providing the best care they can for women.”

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