Iowa lawmakers to hold special session for abortion legislation
The governor's office confirmed Wednesday that the Iowa Legislature will hold a starting on Tuesday, July 11, to enact legislation to restrict abortion access in Iowa.
On June 30, vlog obtained an email sent by an Iowa lawmaker that directed state representatives to hold July 10 open for a special session.
Previous Coverage: Iowa lawmakers told to hold a date in July for special legislative session
Previously, Republican leadership hinted they wanted to reconvene to address abortion laws after the Iowa Supreme Court's split decision that kept the block in place on Iowa's six-week abortion ban.
"In 2018, I proposed, the legislature passed, and I proudly signed into law legislation that protected unborn babies from abortion once a heartbeat was detectable. After years of litigation, the Iowa Supreme Court was split 3-3 last month in its opinion regarding whether a lower court’s injunction of the Fetal Heartbeat Law should be dissolved," Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a news release. "This lack of action disregards the will of Iowa voters and lawmakers who will not rest until the unborn are protected by law."
Iowa Democrats responded to Reynolds' proclamation of the special session.
"Governor Reynolds' call for a special session today is all politics, when our work should be about people. She caved to the special interests and is now demanding lawmakers send her a bill to ban abortion in just six days," Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said in a news release.
"It's clear the Governor and GOP leaders aren’t listening to Iowans because a strong majority supports reproductive freedom. Everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion. Politicians and judges have no place interfering in someone else’s decisions about when to start a family," Konfrst said.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa also responded to the proclamation of the special session.
"Since the fall of Roe, an intentional patchwork of laws has created confusion — a lot of people don’t know what they can do legally and where they are protected. Only two weeks ago, the Iowa Supreme Court blocked a near-total abortion ban," President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States Ruth Richardson said in a news release.
"Now Governor Kim Reynolds is stoking new fear and confusion at the expense of Iowans who are simply trying to access the essential health care they need. The whiplash Iowans are experiencing right now is unconscionable," Richardson said.
The special session will cost Iowa taxpayers.
According to , legislators are paid a "per diem for each day the general assembly is actually in special session."
Right now, abortion is legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion pills are allowed in the state as long as a doctor prescribes them.
There is a mandatory 24-hour waiting period to undergo an abortion procedure.