Iowa Fetal Pain Bill Out of SubCommittee

Monday the Human Resources SubCommittee of the Iowa House voted to send HF5, (A bill for an act relating to abortions including prohibiting late-term abortions with certain exceptions, providing penalties, and including an effective date provision.) to the full Human Resources Committee.

As I reported last month when HF5 was 1st introduced & sent to this subcommittee, this bill is the Iowa equivalent of the Nebraska law that drove late term abortionist Leroy Carhart out of Nebraska. Unfortunately, it faces some problems. 1 of them is that it looks like there are not enough votes to get it out of the full committee. 2 of the Republican members of the full committee, GOP Reps. Kim Pearson of Pleasant Hill & Glen Massie of Des Moines, are opposed because it isn't a full ban on abortion.*

I can understand their desire to completely end abortion in Iowa. As I said last month, a complete ban on abortion is the ideal. I would love to see Iowa adopt a personhood amendment. But I also realize that is highly unlikely at this time in Iowa. But this is a step in the right direction. Some people might call it pragmatism, I call it reality. Do we refuse to pass this law that will at least save some lives? Or do we do nothing & let late term abortionist Leroy Carhart & others like him start doing more late term abortions? To me doing nothing is like seeing a sinking ship & my having a small boat that could rescue some people. Do I say no, I won't save anyone since I can't save them all? Or do I do all I can to save as many as I can? (Note: a similar debate is going on in Ohio over a fetal heartbeat bill.)

I know some Pro-lifers feel strongly that this is not the way to go, that this type of law is being seen as a goal, an end. & I have great respect for them. But for me this is not a goal. The only goal is a total end to abortion. & if we make that goal, we win the game. I will never stop fighting until abortion goes the way of slavery. Until then, do we do nothing to save at least some of them? Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't see doing nothing because we can't do everything.

_____________

* The 21-member Human Resources Committee of the Iowa House is made up of 12 Republicans & 9 Democrats. So if Massie & Pearson vote against it there wouldn't be enough votes to send it to the full House.

Sources: Abortion bill moves to Iowa House committee

Iowa Abortion-Fetal Pain Bill Advances, Now Faces Hurdles