Des Moines, IA — Iowa House Republicans passed a bill today that would add fetal “personhood” language into state code.
HF2575 is a personhood bill that swaps out “human pregnancy” for “unborn person,” which is defined as a “fertilization to live birth.” Lawmakers opposed to the bill referenced the threat this bill could pose to a wide array of reproductive health care, including IVF, as recently seen in Alabama. The measure is part of a slew of harmful bills moving through the legislature this session that endanger Iowans’ access to essential health care.
“Iowans deserve better than the politics being played with their lives and futures at the Capitol. It’s shameful that House Republicans are spending their time and energy on reckless bills like this instead of addressing the health crises they’ve created,” said Mazie Stilwell, Public Affairs Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. “Iowa’s health care system has gone up in smoke and no one with power is even trying to put out the flames. Instead, Republicans who control our state government want to continue their far-reaching, long-term strategy to undermine the rights and well-being of pregnant Iowans. We will fight every step of the way to ensure Iowans have access to the essential health care they so desperately need.”
Other bills moving through the legislature include measures that would loosen accountability and transparency requirements for the state’s MOMS program, which funnels $2 million in taxpayer money into anti-abortion centers. Lawmakers are also pursuing legislation that would require Iowa students in grades 7-12 to watch a medically and scientifically inaccurate video about fetal development.
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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa (PPAI) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission of fostering and preserving a social and political climate favorable to reproductive health. To meet this mission, PPAI engages in lobbying, issues education, and supporter mobilization.
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