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Iowa Legislature passes abortion restrictions, bill goes to governor's desk

Iowa Legislature passes abortion restrictions, bill goes to governor's desk
LINE OF STORMS AS IT MOVES THROUGH. JASON, THANK YOU. WE WANT TO GET BACK TO THE BREAKING NEWS FROM THE IOWA STATE HOUSE. LAWMAKERS HAVE APPROVED NEW ABORTION RESTRICTIONS FOR OUR STATE. THIS ALL HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. THE FINAL VOTE CAME JUST BEFORE 11:00 DEADLINE LAST NIGHT. CASEY CERES ALYSSA GOMEZ IS THERE OUTSIDE THE STATE HOUSE BUILDING THIS MORNING. AND ALYSSA, HOW DOES HOW DID THIS BILL GET TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK THIS MORNING? WELL, IT WAS AN EXTREMELY LONG NIGHT OF DEBATE FROM BOTH SIDES LAST NIGHT, BUT IT ALL CAME DOWN TO A 32 TO 17 VOTE THAT PASSED IN THE IOWA SENATE LAST NIGHT IN JUST TWO HOURS BEFORE THAT, THE MEASURE HAD PASSED IN THE HOUSE AROUND 9 P.M. IF SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE BILL WOULD BAN MOST ABORTIONS. ONCE THERE IS A QUOTE, DETECTABLE FETAL HEARTBEAT. DOCTORS SAY CARDIAC ACTIVITY GENERALLY HAPPENS AROUND SIX WEEKS OF PREGNANCY. THE BILL DOES ALLOW FOR SOME EXCEPTIONS IN CASES OF RAPE, INCEST OR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. IT EMOTIONAL TESTIMONIES WERE HEARD FROM LAWMAKERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. I BELIEVE TO MY CORE THAT INTENSELY PERSONAL HEALTH CARE DECISIONS ARE BEST MADE BETWEEN PATIENTS AND THEIR DOCTORS. EVERY IOWAN DESERVES THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHEN OR IF TO BECOME A PARENT AND THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD DICTATE OTHERWISE IS ANTITHETICAL TO THE IDEALS OF PERSONAL LIBERTY AND FREEDOM. IF THEY’RE NOT PREPARED TO HAVE A BABY, THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE SEX. IF THEY’RE THAT CONCERNED ABOUT IT, I WILL STAND FOR EVERYONE’S RIGHT TO PRACTICE ABSTINENCE CASS ABORTION HAS LITTLE, IF ANYTHING, TO DO WITH REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. IT’S AFTER THE FACT THAT NOW THE GOVERNOR IS EXPECTED TO SIGN THE BILL ON FRIDAY. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE GROUPS SUCH AS PLANNED PARENTHOOD THAT ARE PLANNING TO CHALLENGE THE BILL IN COURT. OUT HERE LIVE AT THE STATEHOUSE, ALYSSA GOMEZ, KCCI EIGHT NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. THANK YOU, ALYSSA. PHRASING WITHIN THE BILL SAYS ABORTIONS WOULD BE BANNED ONCE A FETAL HEARTBEAT IS DETECTED. SEVERAL OTHER STATES HAVE PASSED SO-CALLED FETAL HEARTBEAT LAWS, BUT SOME DOCTORS WARN THE TERMINOLOGY DOESN’T EASILY TRANSLATE TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. WHILE THE IOWA BILL DOES NOT INCLUDE A LIMIT ON WEEKS OF PREGNANCY, MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY ULTRASOUNDS CAN GENERALLY DETECT CARDIAC FLUTTER AT ABOUT SIX WEEKS. BUT THEY BUT THEY ALSO ADD AN EMBRYO DOESN’T BECOME A FETUS UNTIL ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS INTO PREGNANCY. AND DOESN’T HAVE A HEART. THE BILL IOWA LAWMAKERS JUST APPROVED SAYS A DOCTOR MUST TEST FOR A FETAL HEARTBEAT BEFORE PERFORMING AN ABORTION. THE WOMAN ALSO NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT TEST NOW, WHILE DOCTORS GENERALLY AGREE THAT CARDIAC RHYTHM CAN BE DETECTED AROUND SIX WEEKS, SOME TELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THAT THE HEART DOESN’T ACTUALLY FORM UNTIL ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS, AND MANY DOCTORS DON’T EVEN SCHEDULE A FIRST ULTRASOUND UNTIL WEEKS AFTER THAT. UNITYPOINT IN DES MOINES SAYS PREGNANT WOMEN TYPICALLY HAVE THEIR FIRST PRENATAL VISIT. AN ULTRASOUND FOUND AT TEN WEEKS. WE’VE ALSO CONTACTED MERCYONE AND BROADLAWNS ABOUT WHEN THEIR DOCTORS SCHEDULE THE INITIAL ULTRASOUND BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. A DES MOINES REGISTER MEDIACOM IOWA POLL RELEASED BACK IN MARCH SHOWS A MAJORITY OF IOWANS WERE AGAINST RESTRICTING ABORTION. 21% OF PEOPLE SURVEYED SAID THAT THEY BELIEVE ABORTION SHOULD BE COMPLETELY LEGAL. 40% BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE LEGAL IN MOS
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Iowa Legislature passes abortion restrictions, bill goes to governor's desk
A bill restricting abortion in Iowa is headed to the governor’s desk following a special legislative session Tuesday.House File 732, known as the "fetal heartbeat bill," would ban abortion once cardiac activity is detected. Doctors say this happens around six weeks of pregnancy. The House passed the bill in a 56-34 vote shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. The bill then moved to the Senate, which passed the bill in a 32-17 vote at 11 p.m. Tuesday.Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to sign House File 732 into law Friday during the Family Leadership Summit at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.Once signed, the bill will go into effect immediately.The bill includes exemptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother. In the bill, rape would need to be reported within 45 days and incest would need to be reported within 140 days.Watch: Iowa lawmakers get personal during special session on abortionOn Tuesday morning, a public hearing was held to allow Iowans to weigh in on the proposed legislation. During the hearing, speakers alternated between supporters and opponents of the bill.Throughout the day, protestors were in the capitol rotunda, chanting, "Let us in. Let us speak." The room that the public hearing was held in has a max occupancy of 85 people, and lawmakers didn’t allow more members of the crowd in. Iowans speaking at the public hearing had to sign up ahead of time. Previous coverage: Iowa legislature holds special session on abortion restrictionsLawmakers spent more than five hours on the House and Senate floor locked in debate over access to abortion."There are women who will have husbands who will kill them if they carry a pregnancy to term. There are women who will have parents who will kick them out on the street if they carry a pregnancy to term," House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said."When a life is determined to be over when a heartbeat ends, then why would a life not begin when a heartbeat is detected? Unless action is taken to end that heartbeat, it is a human life that deserves to live and have the opportunity to reach his or her full postential," Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer said. A Des Moines Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll released in March showed a majority of Iowans were against restricting abortion. 21% of respondents said abortion should be legal in all cases and 40% of respondents said abortion should be legal in most cases.On Twitter, Konfrst said that of the Iowans who submitted comments online on the bill, 96% (1,025 Iowans) were against the bill, and 4% (37 Iowans) were for the bill. The proposed abortion ban is likely to face a long legal battle. According to the Associated Press, a lawsuit was filed Wednesday by The ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic to put the soon-to-be law on hold as the courts assess its constitutionality. A hearing is scheduled for Friday afternoon, according to court documents, just before the governor’s bill signing.Previously, the Iowa Legislature passed a "fetal heartbeat law" in 2018 that was ruled unconstitutional in 2019 by a Polk County judge.The legal battle continued as recently as last month when a deadlocked state supreme court decision failed to lift an injunction on the 2018 law and permanently blocked it from taking effect. More Coverage:Lawsuit filed to block enforcement of Iowa's new abortion restrictions'Fetal heartbeat bill': How each Iowa lawmaker voted in special session

A bill restricting abortion in Iowa is headed to the governor’s desk following a special legislative session Tuesday.

House File 732, known as the "fetal heartbeat bill," would ban abortion once cardiac activity is detected. Doctors say this happens around six weeks of pregnancy.

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The House passed the bill in a 56-34 vote shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The bill then moved to the Senate, which passed the bill in a 32-17 vote at 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to sign House File 732 into law Friday during the Family Leadership Summit at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.

Once signed, the bill will go into effect immediately.

The bill includes exemptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother. In the bill, rape would need to be reported within 45 days and incest would need to be reported within 140 days.

Watch: Iowa lawmakers get personal during special session on abortion

On Tuesday morning, a public hearing was held to allow Iowans to weigh in on the proposed legislation. During the hearing, speakers alternated between supporters and opponents of the bill.

Throughout the day, protestors were in the capitol rotunda, chanting, "Let us in. Let us speak."

The room that the public hearing was held in has a max occupancy of 85 people, and lawmakers didn’t allow more members of the crowd in. Iowans speaking at the public hearing had to sign up ahead of time.

Previous coverage: Iowa legislature holds special session on abortion restrictions

Lawmakers spent more than five hours on the House and Senate floor locked in debate over access to abortion.

"There are women who will have husbands who will kill them if they carry a pregnancy to term. There are women who will have parents who will kick them out on the street if they carry a pregnancy to term," House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said.

"When a life is determined to be over when a heartbeat ends, then why would a life not begin when a heartbeat is detected? Unless action is taken to end that heartbeat, it is a human life that deserves to live and have the opportunity to reach his or her full postential," Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer said.

A Des Moines Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll released in March showed a majority of Iowans were against restricting abortion. 21% of respondents said abortion should be legal in all cases and 40% of respondents said abortion should be legal in most cases.

iowa poll on abortion
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On Twitter, Konfrst said that of the Iowans who submitted comments online on the bill, 96% (1,025 Iowans) were against the bill, and 4% (37 Iowans) were for the bill.

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The proposed abortion ban is likely to face a long legal battle.

According to the Associated Press, a lawsuit was filed Wednesday by The ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic to put the soon-to-be law on hold as the courts assess its constitutionality. A hearing is scheduled for Friday afternoon, according to court documents, just before the governor’s bill signing.

Previously, the Iowa Legislature passed a "fetal heartbeat law" in 2018 that was ruled unconstitutional in 2019 by a Polk County judge.

The legal battle continued as recently as last month when a deadlocked state supreme court decision failed to lift an injunction on the 2018 law and permanently blocked it from taking effect.

More Coverage:

Lawsuit filed to block enforcement of Iowa's new abortion restrictions

'Fetal heartbeat bill': How each Iowa lawmaker voted in special session