Jodi Clemens supports sensible laws to reduce abortion

Thanks to the Iowa Legislature and a minority group of activists, people around the state are discussing abortion.

My state representative, Bobby Kaufmann, was one of 51 Republicans who voted for Senate File 359, which prevents physicians from performing most abortions once an embryonic heartbeat is detected, often before women know they are pregnant.

This law runs against U.S. Supreme Court decisions, beginning in 1973, that a woman has a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment and may get an abortion until fetal viability - when the fetus is able to live outside the mother's womb. A fetus is not able to survive outside of the womb earlier than 23 weeks gestation, and even after that time, supreme medical intervention is needed.

In the November general election, I'm supporting Democrat Jodi Clemens for state representative. She supports established law regarding abortion and has a sensible approach to reducing the number of abortions. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of abortions, but the passage of SF 359 fails to address the root cause of the issue.

I hope you will join me in supporting Clemens for state representative in House District 73.

Kate Halter

West Branch