Iowa Democratic senators responded to the extreme, near-total abortion ban introduced by Republican politicians and debated on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum, SF 579 floor manager Janice Weiner, and Health and Human Services Committee Ranking Member Sarah Trone Garriott released the following statements.
“Republican politicians are ignoring Iowans in their rush to pass an extreme ban on 98% of abortions in Iowa,” Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said. “Their actions today threaten the health and futures of all Iowa women.”
“This extreme Republican power grab infringes on the personal freedom of every Iowa woman and girl. There are women alive today who will not be alive in six months because of this law,” Jochum said. “That is a tragedy and a travesty.”
“Democrats trust Iowa women. We believe in freedom and the right of every Iowan to decide their own futures – and we know the majority of Iowans agree with us,” Jochum said.
“Gov. Reynolds and legislative Republicans convened an unprecedented special session today for the sole purpose of taking away Iowans’ rights. They hoped they could do it quickly and quietly enough that we wouldn’t notice our freedoms being stripped away,” Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, said. “But Iowans showed up. We see what these extreme Republicans are doing, we’re mad as hell, and we most definitely won’t forget.”
“The Republicans’ extreme, near-total abortion ban makes difficult circumstances so much worse for Iowa women – denying essential healthcare while offering no resources and no assistance,” Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said.
“Instead of calling legislators back to Des Moines to take away fundamental freedoms, we could have made a positive difference for Iowa women,” Trone Garriott said. “We could have expanded maternal healthcare, reinstated support for family planning, and offered more help with childcare. That’s what Iowa Democrats are fighting for – a state that supports Iowa families and helps them thrive.”
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