Capitol Notebook: Bill banning material from abortion providers in pregnancy education headed to Iowa governor

DES MOINES — Iowa schools would be required show students in grades five through 12 videos of the stages of pregnancy, but could not use materials from abortion providers under legislation headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

Republicans have said the bill "brings humanity into the classroom" while Democrats said it bans information from respected medical research institutions that may perform or refer patients for abortions.

Senate File 175, as amended, would require schools to show:

House Republicans amended the bill to prohibit schools from using “any book, article, outline, handout, video or other educational material” produced or provided by an entity that does any of the following:

Senate Republicans on Monday concurred with the House amendment, sending the bill to Reynolds for her signature. The Senate passed the bill 33-16, with all Democrats opposed.

Senate Democrats argued the bill does not distinguish between medical entities that perform abortions to protect the health of the mother or those performed electively. As a result, they argue the amended bill would essentially exclude material from any respected research institution or hospital, including The Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa.

“This amendment pushes this bill over and past the line of science into non-research-based and non-evidence-based information,” Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, said.

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Sen. Jeff Taylor, the bill’s floor manager and a Republican from Sioux Center, called the argument a “red herring.” He noted the bill requires schools to provide age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development instruction. The latter of which the bill defines as: “complete, unbiased information that is verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods recognized as medically accurate and objective by leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field, and published in peer reviewed journals where appropriate.”

“So it does not lower the bar; does not lower the standards,” Taylor said. “It does not open the flood gates for unscientific or non-research-based information. It has to be accurate and it has to be scientifically sound. Schools will continue to have the flexibility to choose their materials as they do now, so long as they use age-appropriate research-based and are not produced by entities that support abortions.”

He said using material from abortion advocates may provide a “tainted view of human life before birth,” and that is “unfair to young, learning minds.“

“Embryos, fetuses, babies, adolescents and adults are all human, and that fact should not be hidden — that every life, no matter how small, contains humanity and dignity from the very start,” Taylor said.

Previous, similar versions of the bill would have required schools use a specific video, titled “Baby Olivia” and produced by an anti-abortion right organization, in schools’ human growth and development instruction. Medical and reproductive rights groups say the video provides scientifically inaccurate information.

While the amended bill does not require a specific video, Democrats have said no other known video encompasses all the descriptions laid out in the bill.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, in a statement, said the bill is “politicizing Iowa’s classrooms and youth“ by promoting material that ”presents personal beliefs and medically inaccurate information as scientific fact“ under the guise of depicting actual fetal development.

Legislation creating supports for pregnant students goes to governor

Iowa Senate lawmakers unanimously advanced legislation providing more support for students at public universities in the state who are pregnant or who have recently given birth, sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds for approval.

Senate File 288 would prohibit a public university from requiring a student to take a leave of absence, withdraw from a program or limit their participation in academic activities solely due to pregnancy.

It also would require institutions to make accommodations for pregnant students while they are completing a course or research and allow for leaves of absence for a length of time that is “consistent with the policies of the institution and that is mutually agreed to by the student and the institution.”

The Senate passed the legislation unanimously in March, but had to approve it again after the House added an amendment identifying students involved as biologically female.

The legislation originally stated that qualifying students could take a leave of absence for up to 12 months. Republican Sen. Jeff Taylor of Sioux Center said the House amendment “watered down” the bill, but approved of the legislation overall.

Iowa Senate sends prohibition of ticket bots to governor

Iowa concertgoers and sports fans may have an easier time securing tickets to events after the House sent legislation banning the use of ticket bots to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for approval Monday.

Senate File 146, passed unanimously by the Senate in February, would prohibit a person from creating or using a bot to purchase tickets or circumvent electronic cues or presale codes. Bots are automated software programs that perform repetitive tasks over a network.

The bill went back to the Senate after the House gave it unanimous approval and amended it to remove ambiguous language used in the legislation’s attorney general provision.

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Similar legislation dubbed “Taylor Swift bills” came up across the country when fans were either kicked out of the online ticket queue or were resold the tickets for much more than their face value when purchasing tickets for Swift’s Eras tour in 2023 and 2024.

“Oh here we go again with the Taylor Swift bill,” Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines said. “This kind of bipartisan support for a bill only happens once every few lifetimes. Living for the hope of it all isn't enough when we can work to get this bill across the finish line.”

The attorney general may bring civil action for using bots to get tickets, which could come with a civil penalty of up to $10,000.

3 Regents confirmed, 1 delayed

Three of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments to the Iowa Board of Regents were confirmed Monday, two by party-line votes and one with broad, bipartisan support.

A Democratic state senator requested a delay on the confirmation of a fourth appointee.

David Barker, James Risewick and Kurt Tjaden were confirmed to their positions on the Iowa Board of Regents, the state body that governs Iowa’s three public universities: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.

Barker and Risewick were approved on party-line, 34-16 votes, with all Republicans supporting their confirmation and all Democrats opposing. Tjaden was confirmed by a 48-2 vote.

Some gubernatorial appointments to state posts, like Regents members, require confirmation by a vote of two-thirds of the 50-member Iowa Senate. With 34 members in the Iowa Senate, majority Republicans have exactly enough members to approve Reynolds’ appointments without needing any votes from Democrats.

Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, asked to defer on the appointment of Christine Hensley to the Board of Regents. The procedural delay means Republicans will decide whether to hold Hensley’s confirmation vote at a later date.

Barker was first appointed to the board by Reynolds in 2019 and Risewick in 2022. Their terms expire Wednesday.

Hensley was appointed to the board last September to fill a vacancy left by Mike Richards, who left the board last April after eight years on the board, including seven as president.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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