The FAMiLY Leader applauds Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ declaration in her Condition of the State Address that Iowa must protect life by passing an amendment that makes it clear the Iowa Constitution does not grant a “right” to abortion.
Watch the governor’s comments on life and Bob Vander Plaats’ brief comments in response below:
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“The vast majority of Iowans support commonsense regulations that would protect mothers and children from efforts to expand abortion even to the day of birth, or designs to make Iowa taxpayers fund abortions,” commented The FAMiLY Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats. “But in 2018, unelected judges stripped the right from all Iowans to determine for ourselves commonsense abortion law.
“So the governor is right to call on legislators to correct the courts and give We the People of Iowa our voice back,” he continued. “I sincerely hope our elected representatives will respond to her leadership by advancing the Protect Life Amendment.”
In the 2018 Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds decision the Iowa State Supreme Court declared abortion a “fundamental right” that could only be restricted under “strict scrutiny,” a radical position that extends far beyond Roe v. Wade.
The legal language in the ruling paves the way for future courts to overturn almost any abortion restriction or safeguard ever passed by the Iowa Legislature. In his dissenting opinion, Iowa State Supreme Court Justice Mansfield further warned the language could be a stepping stone to requiring taxpayer funding of elective abortions.
“The overwhelming majority of Iowans, if given the chance, would protect women and children from gruesome, late-term and partial-birth procedures,” Vander Plaats continued. “We would insist abortion clinics maintain basic safety standards. We can’t imagine being compelled to pay for abortions. That’s why the amendment the governor called for is so important.”
“That the Court would undermine protections for fully-formed, full-term babies in the womb is just appalling,” added Drew Zahn, director of communications for The FAMiLY Leader. “By now, we’ve heard all the arguments about abortion. But there’s one truth we can’t argue away. That little girl in her mother’s womb – she’s a baby, and she deserves protection.”
