Republicans in Iowa's House of Representatives have passed a bill that seeks to criminalize the death of an 'unborn person,' sparking concerns from Democrats regarding its potential impact on in vitro fertilization procedures. The current law in Iowa addresses penalties for the termination or serious injury to a 'human pregnancy.' However, the newly proposed bill aims to amend the language to include the 'causing of death of, or serious injury to, an unborn person,' defined as an 'individual organism from fertilization to live birth.'
This bill is part of a broader trend seen in state Legislatures across the country, where efforts are being made to expand legal protections for embryos and fetuses, aligning with the goals of the anti-abortion movement. For the bill to become law, it still needs to pass the state Senate and receive the signature of Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Referencing a recent case in Alabama where frozen embryos were considered children under the state's wrongful death law, a Democrat in Iowa's House raised concerns about the potential risks to IVF procedures. The Alabama ruling led to major IVF providers in the state pausing services due to liability concerns.
On the other hand, a Republican representative in Iowa emphasized that the bill is straightforward and accused Democratic lawmakers of trying to divert the conversation. He clarified that the Alabama case is specific to that state's laws and courts, and measures have already been taken in Alabama to protect IVF providers from liability.
The debate in Iowa also touched on the lack of clarity in the state's law regarding protections for IVF procedures and the potential interpretations by Iowa and federal courts. Critics of the bill argue that it reinforces the concept of fetal personhood in the state's legal framework, raising uncertainties about the extent to which this reasoning could be applied.
Earlier in the session, House Republicans withdrew a separate bill that aimed to mandate child support payments from fertilization, following concerns raised by Democrats about the implications, including the possibility of court-ordered paternity testing of a fetus.
