Emotions run high at Iowa Capitol during special legislative session on abortion

DES MOINES — It was a jam-packed and emotionally charged scene Tuesday inside the Iowa Capitol rotunda, where thousands of people filled the indoor space as state lawmakers debated legislation to significantly restrict abortions in Iowa.

Chants and other demonstrations produced a consistent wave of cheers, screams and shouts that reverberated throughout the Capitol for the better part of six hours. Throughout the day, abortion rights advocates dramatically outnumbered advocates for restrictive abortion policies, and the loudest moments came during a rally with advocates for access to abortion services.

Waverly Zhao, a recent graduate of Johnston High School and co-founder of the young Iowans advocacy group Iowa WTF, had the rotunda rolling with a call to action against the Republican lawmakers who voted for the abortion-restricting legislation.

“We know we can’t change their minds, but we can do what voters and citizens of this country do best -- and that is vote them out,” Zhao said, prompting a period of applause and a “Vote them out!” chant that lasted for 30 seconds.

The chant continued throughout the day, as abortion access advocates moved around the Capitol, yelling it outside any room in which Republican legislators were meeting.

Republicans called the special session of the Iowa Legislature to pass a new version of their a bill that would ban most abortions, prohibiting abortions once cardiac activity is detected. The bill’s supporters say that is typically around the sixth week of pregnancy.

Dr. Francesca Turner, an obstetrics and gynecology physician who said she was representing the Iowa section of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, spoke at the abortion rights rally, which was hosted by Planned Parenthood.

Turner said the new legislation is “fraught with medical inaccuracies and vague language,” and described ways it could make it difficult for physicians to safely treat pregnancies. “Pregnancy is too complicated to legislate,” Turner said.

While they were in the minority in the Capitol crowd, advocates for abortion restrictions also made their case.

Michael Shover, a pastor at Christ the Redeemer Church in Pella, during a rare quiet moment in the rotunda, yelled, “Stop murdering babies.” That declaration set off a tense exchange with abortion rights advocates. Within minutes, Iowa State Patrol officers separated Shover from the others and remained stationed in the area.

Later, Shover explained his reason for wanting to be at the Capitol.

“Because Jesus said all the light of God belongs to the little children, and people want to murder little children in the womb. They want to dehumanize the babies, the smallest and innocent and defenseless among us,” Shover said. “If people do not stand up to protect them, then evil people will seek to murder and destroy.”

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Derry Butler, from Indianola, said she wanted to be at the Capitol to “stand up for human rights.”

“Because, after all, it is a human that is developing in the uterus,” Butler said. “All life is precious. I see no reason why there should be a right for a mother to kill her baby.”

Butler said her preference would be for a law that bans abortion at conception. “But we’ll take a win where we can get it,” she said.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also came to the Iowa Capitol, saying he wanted to see what he said was an “historic” moment. While he made his way through the crowded rotunda, abortion rights demonstrators greeted Ramaswamy with chants of “fascist.”

There was an increased law enforcement presence in the Capitol rotunda for the day’s events. At one point in the early afternoon, two dozen uniformed officers could be seen monitoring the crowd, at least 21 of which were wearing Iowa State Patrol uniforms.

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A spokesman said the Iowa State Patrol increased its presence for safety purposes, as it does for many other events around the state.

“This was done today with adequate staffing to ensure safety and security for all,” Iowa State Patrol public information officer Sgt. Alex Dinkla said.

More than three out of every five Iowans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published earlier this year.

Debbie Griffin, a pastor with Downtown Disciples Progressive Faith Community in Des Moines, said her faith leads her to protect access to abortion, support access to health care, and to love her neighbors of all faiths.

“A very slim, extreme percentage of Christians do not have the right to impose their beliefs on your beliefs,” Griffin said. “Protecting religious freedom means protecting religious diversity.”

Many of the people who attended the rally and demonstrated throughout the day remained in the Capitol and sat in the public galleries while lawmakers debated the legislation on the floors of the Iowa House and Senate.

The Iowa House galleries were mostly full at the start of floor debate, around 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Senate galleries were roughly half-full at the start of debate there.

The galleries became a little restless in each chamber at various points throughout debate. Iowa House and Senate rules prohibit noise and demonstrations from the public galleries.

In the House, abortion rights advocates became restless a few times, at one point even prompting Democratic Rep. Jennifer Konfrst to remind them of the rules requiring them to remain silent.

In the Senate, noise from the galleries prompted Republican Sen. Brad Zaun, who was conducting debate proceedings, to issue a warning that if he heard more, he would ask the Iowa State Patrol to remove the offenders, regardless of the side for which they were advocating.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com