According to a Des Moines Register report, the governor-appointed Council on Human Resources held a vote to reject a new state-financed family planning program created by SF2, a law designed to stop taxpayer dollars from funding abortion providers.**
According to the report, even the council was unsure if its vote holds the authority to block SF2 – a law supported by over 30 Iowa pro-life organizations – from taking effect.
The FAMiLY LEADER’s president and CEO Bob Vander Plaats insists no unelected committee has the authority to reject SF2:
“We have elected legislators and an elected governor who have passed this legislation. An appointed executive committee doesn’t get to overturn it,” said Vander Plaats. “The only executive branch body with veto power is the governor. And the governor has signed this legislation. We expect the law will be carried out as written, and Iowan taxpayers will be protected from being forced against their conscience to fund abortion providers.”
**UPDATE** After receiving a call from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, the Council on Human Resources unanimously reversed its vote, reportedly convinced it did not have the authority to block implementation of SF2
