Iowa House dodges debate to ban nearly all abortions

DES MOINES – An attempt to use a procedural maneuver to force a debate on banning all abortions, except for the health of the mother, was defeated by a lopsided margin in the Iowa House May 10.

However, Rep. Kim Pearson, R-Pleasant Hill, who sought to suspend House rules to bring an abortion-related bill to the floor Tuesday evening, said it's not the end of the road for legislation that would establish that life begins at conception and prohibit abortions except to save the life of the mother.

“The issue never goes away,” she said. Since the 1973 Rove v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion “we've been killing babies and until we rectify that, it will still be an issue.”

However, her colleagues rejected her attempt to suspend the rules by a 25-72 margin. Twenty-four Republicans and one Democrat voted to suspend the rules while 33 Republicans and 39 Democrats voted “no.”

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, was among the Republicans voting not to suspend the rules. The outcome should not be taken as a shift in GOP opposition to abortion, he said.

“I think the caucus is a pro-life caucus. I think the caucus is one that believes life begins at conception,” said Paulsen, who voted against suspending the rules. Although some Republicans are comfortable bringing the issue to the floor by suspending the rules, “there are others who want to use the ore traditional process, shall we say.”

Meanwhile in the Senate, the floor manager of HF 657 that would ban abortions after the 20

^th

week of pregnancy said he will introduce his own bill to prevent a Nebraska doctor from opening a late-term abortion clinic in Iowa.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, offered no details of how he would block Dr. LeRoy Carhart from opening a clinic in Council Bluffs.

Bolkcom, a pro-choice legislator, said he shares most Iowans' goal of preventing Carhart from opening his clinic.

“What I won't do is endanger a woman's health and safety,” he said. “As the House-passed bill is drafted right now, there's no exception for life of the mother, rape, incest or fetus abnormalities that would prevent the baby from surviving after it's born.”

Bolkcom called HF 657, which passed the House 60-39, a political ploy that constitutional experts say “is blatantly unconstitutional.”

“There's not much point in passing an unconstitutional bill that will only embroil Iowa in an expensive court battle,” he said.

Bolkcom and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, are playing their own political games, according to Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton.

Gronstal said he won't block efforts to stop Carhart, but Republicans say he is obstructing action on the House bill.

“I am deeply disappointed that Sen. Gronstal is continuing to play political games with the vitally important late-term abortion ban by killing the bipartisan legislation and instead allegedly offering a tax bill in its place that could fail to keep our state from becoming a nationwide haven for late-term abortions,” McKinley said.

The debate is not just about keeping one abortionist out of Council Bluffs, McKinley said.

“It is about protecting the innocent lives of unborn Iowans in every community,” said McKinley. Senate Republicans will continue to demand an up or down vote on a late-term abortion ban this session.

“We are confident that if Sen. Gronstal opts to listen to the citizens of his district and allows a vote on a late-term abortion ban, it will pass the Senate with strong bipartisan support,” he said.

Pearson wanted to debate HF 656, which deals with juvenile court reporting of waivers granted from compliance with the state abortion notification law. If it came to the floor, she planned to offer an amendment incorporated “life begins at conception” language.

Although disappointed in the vote, Pearson was encouraged by the number of representatives who were willing to have the debate.

“Do we value life or we don't,” she said. “Do we really want to change this culture of death? Is this a principal that Republicans want to stand up for or not?”

She'll continue to seek that debate.

“This is an act of faith, this is what we are supposed to be doing, so we step out and do it,” Pearson said.