Iowa Senate committee advances bill declaring no right to abortion in the state

A bill that would declare there is no right to an abortion in Iowa was advanced to the state’s Senate floor by lawmakers on Tuesday, putting the proposal up for debate. 

The Associated Press reports that all but three of 32 Senate Republicans support the measure, which was introduced by Republican state Sen. Jake Chapman in January. No Democrats have signed onto the bill. 

The bill was proposed just days after a state judge ruled that Iowa’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion law was unconstitutional.

The law would have forced a ban on nearly all abortions as soon as a heartbeat was detected, making it the most restrictive piece of legislation regarding abortion in the U.S. Heartbeats can reportedly be detected within six weeks of pregnancy.  {mosads}

Critics of the bill claim many women don’t even know they are pregnant at the six-week mark in their pregnancy. 

The new legislation, approved by a committee on Tuesday, will go to the full Senate for debate. Should it pass in the Senate, the bill would still need to pass in the House and be signed by the governor. 

The bill would amend the state constitution to say there is no right to abortion in Iowa.