In the morning hours of Sunday, June 14, the Iowa Legislature, after 16 continuous hours of session, passed a pair of pro-life measures:
- The “Alfie Evans” bill, which protects children from being removed from life support over their parents’ objection,
- And an added amendment to the bill, which requires a 24-hour consideration period before a woman can have an abortion.
By Sunday afternoon, however, the Legislature adjourned for 2020 without passing the Protect Life Amendment.
The FAMiLY Leader’s Bob Vander Plaats, Chuck Hurley, and Danny Carroll discuss these emotionally charged and important developments in the video below:
As Chuck explained, TFL and Iowa’s Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders “left it all on the field” to see the Protect Life Amendment passed.
Without such an amendment in place, the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that declared abortion a “fundamental right” leaves the door open for abortion extremists to pursue not only late-term abortions up the to the day of a baby’s birth, but also taxpayer funded abortions.
There can be little doubt that pro-life Iowans are sorely disappointed the Protect Life Amendment was not passed.
It should be noted, however, that the Alfie Evans bill is a victorious culmination of years of pro-life work. What’s more, the 24-hour provision could set up a legal challenge to the 2018 “fundamental right” ruling before a very different Iowa Supreme Court, which has seen Gov. Kim Reynolds appoint four new justices since that 2018 ruling.
The news today is thus mixed: disappointment, yes, but also two steps forward. At The FAMiLY Leader, we are praising God that Iowa’s pro-life community has remained united in the defense of life, that more and more pro-life legislation continues to be passed, and that after decades of struggling to turn the tide, we are marching forward. We are winning. And we will continue to work until all innocent life is treasured and protected by law, from conception to natural death.
THANK YOU for praying, for reaching out to your elected officials, for supporting The FAMiLY Leader, and for partnering with us in this life-saving work!
