House will not approve Senate-passed abortion bill

DES MOINES - House Speaker Kraig Paulsen said Thursday the GOP-led House will not approve the Senate's approach to curbing late-term abortions in Iowa, but could substitute their version seeking to ban the procedure after the 20th week of pregnancy in hopes of getting senators to consider their language.

The Senate, where Democrats hold a 26-24 edge, voted last week to require that new medical facilities seeking to offer late-term abortions would have to be located in “close proximity” to the five hospitals in Iowa that are qualified neonatology centers. Since such centers are only in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines and Iowa City, backers of Senate File 534 said it would effectively halt Nebraska Dr. LeRoy Carhart from opening a clinic in Council Bluffs to provide late-term abortions.

“House Republicans are not interested in helping create a procedure for late-term abortion doctors to come to Iowa, and that's what that bill does,” Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican, told reporters Thursday. “The House is not going to pass that language. I cannot imagine there would be 51 votes. We're not going to pass what they sent over.”

He did not rule out GOP representatives taking up the Senate bill, replacing it with House-passed language in House File 657 to ban abortions in Iowa after 20 weeks, and returning it to the Senate for further consideration. Senate Republicans tried unsuccessfully to force a vote on the House bill earlier this week but their efforts were blocked or ruled out of order during a contentious floor debate.

“It is absolutely a possibility that the bill would be amended and sent back,” said Paulsen. “I think Iowans have sent us a clear message that they want us to address this. So I continue to think that's a pretty important matter for the Legislature to address but I can't make the Senate address it.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said it would be up to bill floor manager Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, to decide whether the Senate would take up an amended version if the House sends the measure back yet this session.

Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday he does not believe a Senate-passed measure would be effective in curbing late-term abortions in Iowa.

The five-term Republican said he would prefer that lawmakers send him a version closer to House File 657.

“I think the House bill is much more effective and I would hope that eventually the Senate will understand that we need to do more than just deal with the situation in Council Bluffs,” Branstad said.

“I don't think the Senate version is effective,” he added. “I think it's strictly designed just to provide cover. We need something that's going to be effective all over the state of Iowa, not something that's just a political thing.”

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