By Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
Iowa House Republicans will hold a subcommittee hearing on a bill that would ban all abortions and make performing an abortion a crime punishable by life in prison for doctors — the first time the policy has received a hearing in Iowa.
Lawmakers will hold a subcommittee on House File 2332 at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, in room 103 at the Iowa Capitol. A subcommittee is the first hurdle a bill must clear to become law, and it is the public’s chance to provide input on bills directly to lawmakers.
The bill says that “the life of every human being begins at conception,” and it adds abortion to Iowa’s homicide law, making it a class A felony, punishable by life in prison without parole, to perform an abortion.
An attempt to end a pregnancy that does not result in an abortion would be a class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
The bill exempts pregnant women from prosecution for having an abortion.
And it says doctors cannot be prosecuted for abortions performed to preserve the life of a pregnant woman.
The bill’s definition of an “elective abortion” that would be banned does not include:
- Miscarriages.
- In-vitro fertilization.
- Procedures to save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child.
- Procedures to remove the results of a miscarriage.
- Procedures to treat an ectopic pregnancy.
- Procedures to treat a physiological condition that constitutes a medical emergency.
- Medical treatment not intended to cause an abortion, even if the treatment results in an abortion.
To remain eligible for consideration this year, bills must pass a full committee in the chamber where they are introduced by Feb. 20. If the bill advances through its subcommittee on Feb. 17, it would have time to receive a vote and clear the Legislature’s first “funnel” deadline, if the committee decides to take it up.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Newton, and 23 other House Republicans. GOP lawmakers hold a 67-33 supermajority in the Iowa House.
What does Iowa law currently say about abortion?
Iowa law currently bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected.
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law in 2023 and it took effect in 2024 after a court challenge.
Current law includes exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, which includes to preserve the life of the pregnant person or to prevent “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
What do House leaders say about the bill?
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said “it’s probably too early to say” whether the legislation has the support of a majority of House Republicans. He noted that his caucus as a whole hasn’t had a conversation on the bill yet.
“Like a lot of other bills, having the subcommittee as part of the process doesn’t mean that we’ve already made up our mind on what the final destination is for a piece of legislation,” he said.
As for whether he would support the bill personally, Grassley said he would want to get more feedback before he makes a decision.
“I haven’t had a chance to fully read and vet what that bill looks like,” he said.
House Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, criticized the bill when speaking with reporters.
“And if they want to vote on it, let’s have a vote on it because that is not where Iowans are at,” he said. “It’s completely absurd, it’s ridiculous. We need to protect a woman’s right to choose. That’s a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor.”
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