What is the point of Republican legislation in Iowa?

People say of Republican legislation, “The cruelty’s the point.” It’s unfair and irresponsible to assign motives to people’s actions. But what does this phrase say about some Republican-sponsored legislation?

For example, lawmakers justify anti-LGBTQ+ laws by claiming the need to protect children and women. Never mind there’s no evidence that LGBTQ+ people pose a danger to children and women. These laws, as they say, are a solution in search of a problem.

Ask these lawmakers if banning transition healthcare for transgender minors is cruel. They will likely say it’s not. They justify the law by claiming it protects children. Never mind the overwhelming evidence that transition healthcare saves lives. Ask the same question of transgender people denied the opportunity to live a fulfilling life. They will say the law is cruel, humiliating, and unnecessary.

Likewise, Gov. Kim Reynolds justifies her near-total abortion ban, currently blocked by a court order, by saying it protects “unborn children.” But what about pregnant Iowans who wouldn’t get needed healthcare until they were near death (maybe not even then)? The Kate Cox case shows that so-called “exceptions for the life of the mother” are meaningless. A pregnant person in this situation likely considers the abortion ban cruel. A sexual assault victim forced to deliver her attacker’s baby probably considers the ban cruel.

In the end, justification doesn’t matter when a law results in human suffering or death. Ignoring Iowans’ pleas to be heard is cruel. Cruelty may not be the point, but it is the result.

Gordie Felger

Hiawatha