Iowa ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic issued a joint statement after the bill's passage, promising to challenge it in court.

"The abortion ban the Iowa Legislature passed today is a devastating blow to reproductive freedom, said Planned Parenthood North Central States CEO Ruth Richardson. "My heart breaks for patients who will be denied health care, for the people who cannot afford to travel out of state. This ban will widen already unacceptable health inequities. Iowans deserve to decide what's best for their bodies and futures. This is not the end of our fight for safe and legal abortion and reproductive health care. We will exhaust all options to ensure Iowans have control of their bodily autonomy, now and for generations to come."

Read the full statement here.

The Iowa Senate has adjourned at 11:23 p.m. The special session of the Iowa Legislature has concluded after just shy of 15 hours.

The Senate has adjourned sine die. after almost 15 hours exactly, the special session of the Iowa Legislature is over.

Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Hart's statement on the bill's passage: 

“Iowa Republicans made it clear when they voted to enact a six-week abortion ban that they will do anything to impress the most extreme members of their party, even if it means ignoring the will of their voters and our state Supreme Court. I’m proud of our Democratic lawmakers who helped make women’s voices heard today and stood strong while they opposed stricter abortion laws that the majority of Iowans do not support. It’s time to elect more Democratic candidates who will continue to put people over politics, work to create balance, and protect our fundamental rights.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' full statement on the bill's passage: 

“Today, the Iowa legislature once again voted to protect life and end abortion at a heartbeat, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.” 

“The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass the same law they did in 2018, and today they have a clear answer. The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed.”   

“As a pro-life Governor, I am also committed to continuing policies to support women in planning for motherhood, promote the importance of fatherhood, and encourage strong families. Our state and country will be stronger because of it.” 

In her statement, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will sign the bill into law on Friday. The statement does not say specifically that she will do it there, but Friday is when the Christian conservative group The Family Leader is holding a big event with many of the Republican presidential candidates.

Large outcry in the Senate after Republicans passed a bill banning abortions as early as six weeks. State Troopers are removing people for shouting from the gallery. pic.twitter.com/EThpkoPQW5

— Caleb McCullough (@calebmcculIough) July 12, 2023

The bill passes in the Iowa Senate largely along party lines, 32-17, and it is now headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk for a signature. Sen. Mike Klimesh of Spillville was the sole Republican to vote no.

After nearly 15 hours of debate, protest, emotional pleas and attacks that sometimes turned personal, a near-total abortion ban in Iowa is a penstroke away from becoming law.

At 11:01, Sen. Brad Zaun cut off debate, and Sen. Amy Sinclair moved to vote on the bill. Democratic senators invoked "Rule 23," which requires each senator to make a voice vote rather than vote with a push of a button on their desk.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, who is conducting Senate debate, just noted that there were just 20 minutes left before Republicans' imposed 11 p.m. debate deadline, and six senators' lights were showing, indicating their desire to speak. Which means not every senator is going to get to speak before the deadline.

The one key difference between House and Senate debate, both of which lasted many hours: House Democrats ran only a few amendments and then spent the majority of their time speaking on the bill. Senate Democrats introduced at least 11 amendments, and spent a good chunk of their time debating those.

The Senate is continuing to debate the bill. Lots of personal stories being told by legislators tonight.

Sen. Zach Wahls, a Democrat from Coralville, said he and his wife have been trying to become parents over the last year, and his wife had had two miscarriages. Those were heartbreaking experiences, he said, but he said everyone should have a choice to start a family.

"We're still grieving the version of our lives that we'd be living if those pregnancies had been healthy. The due date from her first pregnancy was last week," Wahls said. "But we also would have grieved if she had needed an abortion and hadn't been able to get one."

Sen. Chris Cournoyer, a Republican from LeClaire, said she had an unintended pregnancy in her 20s. She said when she confirmed the pregnancy with a doctor and had an ultrasound, she believed it was a unique human life that deserved the same rights as her.

"I didn't even want to think about how they would carry out that procedure to stop the heartbeat that would end the life of the child that I created," Cournoyer said. "It was no longer about me. I didn't have the right to end another human life because it wasn't convenient for me or a good time for me."

Iowa Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, who managed the bill in House debate: 

"This bill protects unborn children in Iowa," said Lundgren.  "This bill sets a clear standard where the state has an interest in the life of a child – when the baby’s heart starts beating. Where there is a heartbeat – there is life."

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, statement after passage of the bill: 

"Iowans know we are a pro-life caucus and they have continued to grow our majority," said Grassley.  "While Democrats across the country continue to devalue the life of an unborn child, Iowa House Republicans are following through on our promise to protect life."

Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, to reporters after the bill passed: 

“If the governor signs the bill this week and it goes into effect without the Board of Medicine weighing in, it will be utter chaos,” Konfrst said. “Doctors won’t know what to do. Patients won’t know what to do. There will be questions. And most importantly, there will be inconsistent care across the state because different doctors will interpret it differently. Different patients will receive different kinds of care."

Abortion ban passes Iowa House largely on party lines, 56-34, with 10 lawmakers absent. Two Republicans joined Democrats in opposition, Mark Cisneros, R-Muscatine, and Zach Dieken, R-Granville. House has adjourned sine die.

They are voting in the Iowa House, and House Democrats have called for a rule under which legislators are giving their votes orally, instead of by merely pushing a button. The effect of this is Democrats being able to individually say "No" on the floor. 

Sen. Janice Weiner of Iowa City is speaking against the bill as the Senate begins debate. She said the bill is not what Iowans want and strips freedoms from Iowa women.

She suggested Republicans will face consequences at the ballot box in 2024 after passing the bill. More than 60% of Iowans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a March Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

The light count over here looks to show about five Democrats waiting to speak, but that could grow as other speakers finish up.

It's Hour 13 of the special session of the Iowa Legislature, and debate does seem to be winding down. I'll catch heck from my colleagues for jinxing us if more lights turn on, but as of right now, there are only three lights showing on the House member board, meaning only those three members remain wanting to speak on the bill. (Plus the Republican bill manager will give closing comments.) 

Over in the Senate, Democrats are still caucusing.

Democrats are filing back into the Senate chamber, we're likely to pick back up with debate any minute. They've got a little more than two hours until debate is scheduled to end.

The Iowa Senate just voted on its last Democrat-proposed amendment. All 11 were defeated along party lines. Senators will now go through another round of debate on the bill ... after Senate Democrats caucus. Remember, regardless of how long Senate Democrats caucus, majority Republicans have made rules that end debate at 11 p.m. tonight.

The Senate is debating an amendment from Democrats to remove language from the bill that will make it effective as soon as it is signed.

Democrats argued the immediate nature of the law would create confusion for doctors who are unsure what services are allowed once it is in law.

The bill, as written, will take effect upon enactment, though it also directs the state Board of Medicine to create administrative rules to enforce the measure. But the bill would still be enforceable before those rules are created, Republican Sen. Amy Sinclair said.

Iowa Code allows the Board of Medicine to discipline a physician for "violating a law of this state, another state, or the United States." Sinclair said this catch-all allows the board to discipline doctors for violating the law as soon as it is in code.

That existing code allows the board to suspend or revoke a physician's license. Neither the bill, nor those rules, create a criminal liabiltiy for physicians that perform abortions.

"This bill does not have any criminal penalties attached," Sinclair said. "My recommendation (for physicians), I suppose, would be that they follow the plain text of the law."

Still, Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen, from Des Moines, said those circumstances will create confusion for providers who will have to change their services and offerings quickly.

"I cannot even imagine what providers are going through right now," she said. "Not knowing how they're going to handle certain situations that are unclear in this legislation."

Rep. Luana Stoltenberg, a Republican, during debate tells the story of her personal history: she had three abortions as a young woman, and she says those abortions resulted in her being unable to have children since. "Every day I live with the reality that I killed the only children that I would ever have," she said.

For what it's worth, Sinclair's previous comments about the age of consent is missing one component: Statutory rape does not apply to somebody who is less than four years older than someone who is 14-15. So if a pregnant person is 14-15 and the other person is less than four years older, there does not seem to be an exception if another form of sexual abuse was not involved.

Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, just interrupted debate to take issue with Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, using the word "lie" quite a bit when talking about Democrats' objections to the bill.

Sinclair said the information from Democrats is "patently untrue."

In the Senate, Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, addressing concerns raised by Democrats that the bill could wind up forcing young people to be forced to complete a pregnancy, notes that the bill refers to the state's definition of sexual abuse, under which children under 16 cannot legally give consent, and thus would be considered victims of rape, which is one of the exceptions under the bill.

Republicans voted down an amendment in the Senate that would remove the time-limited reporting requirements for instances of rape and incest to be eligible for exceptions.

Rapes must be reported within 45 days, and incest must be reported within 140 days to be an exception to the abortion ban.

Democrats said most rapes and instances of incest are not reported, and so the short timeframe will require many people who were victims of rape or incest to give birth.

"Anyone who votes for this bill as is uses the state to commit a second act of violation upon victims of rape and child victims of incest and sexual abuse by forcing pregnancy," said Sen. Liz Bennett, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids.

Republicans also voted down amendments that would create exceptions for people with mental illnesses or with developmental disabilties.

Eight more amendments to go in the Senate. These are destined to fail, but Democrats are using them to point out specific areas they say the bill will harm Iowa women and children.

Konfrst also now arguing that with bills like these, Republicans are now the party of big government and Democrats are the party of freedom. 

Iowa Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights and leader of the minority party House Democrats, says she wants to throw up, to cry, and is shaking.

Republican Rep. Brad Sherman during debate says for Iowans who claim restrictive abortion bans violate their freedom, they remain free to choose to not have sex in order to not get pregnant. "They should not have sex if they're not prepared for (a pregnancy)," Sherman said. 

One key debate that is happening in both chambers tonight: Democrats are asking Republicans how physicians might be punished under the bill. Republicans say that will be up to the Iowa Board of Medicine to clarify during the rule-making process, and offer no other guidance.

A heated moment in the Iowa Senate, as Sen. Liz Bennett, a Democrat, tells Sen. Amy Sinclair, a Republican, "Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining." 

Debate right now in the House is between Democrat Megan Srinivas, who is a physician, and Republican Ann Meyer, who is a nurse. Srinivas is asking questions of Meyer, who played a role in the bill's development, technical medical questions about how the bill might be enforced.

We're on to our first protest amendment in the Senate: Democrats are proposing extending post-partum Medicaid coverage to 12 months and restoring family planning programs.

Other proposed amendments include allowing abortions for people under 16 and people who are likely to be victims of domestic abuse.

In opening comments, Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, said the bill was needed because of what she called "overreach by the judicial branch" because the Supreme Court did not reinstate the 2018 law.

She argued that an embryo at the stage the bill protects is a unique human life deserving of protection.

"If indeed abortion was a decision that solely affected a woman's body ... I would resist this law," she said. "But no one can claim it is."

"You cannot legislate the practice of medicine," says Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, a physician, during House floor debate. Baeth was advocating for a Democrat-proposed amendment that would have expanded the medical exemptions to the bill.

As House Republicans vote down a Democratic amendment that would have created an exemption for any pregnant children 12 years old or younger, we have the first murmuring from the House public gallery, from a person who was expressing his shock at the amendment being voted down. For those who are not familiar, speaking from the public galleries is not permitted during debate.

Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, the bill's floor manager in the House, references last month's split Iowa Supreme Court ruling where the court deadlocked, 3-3, declining to reinstate similar abortion ban- previously blocked by the state courts.

"There was nothing hypothetical about it then and there’s nothing hypothetical about it now," Lundgren said, referring to opinion from Justice Thomas Waterman.

Waterman wrote one of the reasons not to reinstate the 2018 law is the Iowa Legislature may not have intended for it to go into effect. At the time Roe v. Wade was stillt he law of the land, with Waterman writing when enacted in 2018, the law "had not chance to taking effect."

"To put it politely, the legislature was enacting a hypothetical law. ... Uncertainty exists about whether a fetal heartbeat bill would be passed today."

Lundgren also disputed criticisms that the bill will hinder physicians' ability to provide medically nececcary care, avert emergencies and respond to time-sensitive issues.

"In this bill we are passing today will not impact the care provided to women experiencing a miscarriage- or having complications with her pregnancy," she said. "Medical emergency is defined broadly  to include any situation in which an abortion is performed to preserve the life of the pregnant woman whose life is endangered and when pregnancy creates a serious risk of substantial, irreversible impairments of a major bodily function."

Lundgren continued: "This bill protects unborn children in Iowa. And this bill sets a clear standard there the state has an interest I the life of the child. When there is a heartbeat, there is life."

In the House, Rep. Austin Baeth, a physician from Des Moines in his first term in the Legislature, is arguing the limits on the exceptions for rape and incest in the bill are too restrictive. Pregnancies are exempted from the abortion ban if they are the result of rape in cases that are reported within 45 days, and incest in cases that are reported within 140 days.

The Senate has gaveled in and will soon start debating the bill.

With Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, running the bill, Republican Sen. Brad Zaun from Urbandale is presiding over the Senate.

Democrats filed several amendments that will be debated and voted on — and will likely not pass — before the vote on the final bill.

We are back, as debate has started in the Iowa House. The bill in the House is being run by Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, who also ran the similar bill in 2018 that was struck down by the Iowa courts.

We're in a sort of lull right now, action-wise, during this day-long special session. The committee work has concluded in both chambers, and both chambers are at ease until floor debate begins at around 4 p.m. Your Gazette-Lee Bureau team is furiously writing during this lull ... We'll see you back here in the live blog when floor debate starts.

Thank-you so much for checking in with us today, and be sure to catch all the Gazette-Lee coverage of today's special session. 

The Iowa House has just set its debate deadline for 10 p.m. So that means debate will finish tonight at 10 p.m. (at the latest) in the House, and 11 p.m. (at the latest) in the Senate.

Tensions are rising at the Iowa Capitol. Loud, profane outburst from abortion rights demonstrators after House Health and Human Services Committee votes 14-6 on party lines to advance six-week abortion ban to the House floor. pic.twitter.com/7kXlsQmZIe

— Tom Barton (@tjbarton83) July 11, 2023

The bill has now officially passed the committee level in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. It is now eligible for debate on the House and Senate floors. We expect that to begin at roughly 4 p.m.

The Senate State Government Committee votes along party lines, 12-6, to advance the bill out of committee. It's now eligible for floor debate in the Senate.

Unlike in the House, Democrats did not offer any amendments to the bill. Floor debate is expected to begin at 4. 

The Senate State Government Committee has advanced Senate Study Bill 1223 out of the subcommittee of the whole, and is beginning discussion in the full committee. 

The final committee vote on the bill will be at 2 p.m. at the latest. 

House committee votes down amendment on party lines by Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, to extended postpartum Medicaid coverage 1 year after they give birth. Coverage currently cuts off at 60 days. Iowa is 1 of 5 states that have not extended coverage. #ialegis

Rep. @MatsonForHouse: "Expanding post-partum care will save lives. It is the single most effective thing we could do today … to save the lives of moms, and make sure that families have the ability to thrive."

Rep.@DbqRepLundgren: “I do believe we should do everything we can as we have as House Republicans to support families going forward. We’ll continue to do that. But, today, as we discuss our abortion bill,” urges committee to vote "no" on amendment. #ialegis

Committee also votes down amendment by @MatsonForHouse to reinstate Iowa Family Planning network under Medicaid to draw down federal funds for family planning services in Iowa.

Committee members tie amendment to Gov. Reynolds' proposal to expand access to behind-the-counter birth control, which was one of few of her priorities that that Republican lawmakers did not pass this year.

Rep. Lundgren said while there's more to do on that issue and hopes to pass the proposal next session, asks lawmakers to "separate out these two different issues," noting lawmakers pulled funding from Planned Parenthood & other family planning clinics who also provide abortion.

The current legislative action is now in the Iowa Senate, which is hearing public input on the bill in the subcommittee process. Lawmakers one the Senate's Health and Human Services Committee will then consider the bill. They're supposed to be done at 2 p.m., but ... 

The abortion rights rally is done, and now demonstrators are gathering around rooms in the Capitol where Republican lawmakers are meeting, chanting "Vote them out."

Abortion rights demonstrators boo Republican House members who emerge from caucus meeting as they cross the hall from committee room to House GOP offices for another closed-door discussion. #ialegis pic.twitter.com/dBiyVS70tO

— Tom Barton (@tjbarton83) July 11, 2023

A common argument against this bill, which is sure to come up in floor debate later today, is how banning abortions will affect the number of OB-GYNs in Iowa and access to other reproductive health care.

Two OB-GYNs-in-training have spoken at this Senate subcommittee hearing, and said bluntly if this law is in place they will likely not continue to practice here in Iowa. Outlawing most abortions will mean OB-GYN residents cannot receive the full scope of training in the state, and could turn away prospective doctors, they said.

OB-GYN residency applicants dropped by 10.5% in states with near-total abortion bans after the fall of Roe v. Wade last year, according to data from the American Association of Medical Colleges.

Iowa is ranked last among the 50 states in OB-GYNs per capita. Lawmakers passed a bill this year funding rural family medicine obstetrics fellowships in rural Iowa as a response to that shortage.

Dr. Francesca Turner, an OBGYN in Des Moines, said the language in the bill is ambiguous about when doctors can intervene in cases of pregnancy complications.

“At what point when your wife or your daughter or your sister is having a medical emergency during a pregnancy do I get to save her life?” she said. “At what moment do I get to intervene? It’s unclear in this bill.”

Katie Buck, a West Des Moines resident, brought her 7-year-old son, Alex, with her to the hearing. Alex was born with a genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome. The condition can be fatal.

Buck said it qualifies as one of the fetal abnormality exceptions allowed in the bill. She urged lawmakers to remove the exception from the bill.

“Alex is 7 years old. How can he be incompatible with life?” she said. “You have no idea how hard we had to fight against this fatal fetal anomaly label to get him the medical care he needed to survive.”

Some excerpts from testimony during public hearing before House Health and Human Services Committee:

Dr. Amy Bingman told lawmakers: "Abortion is health care. Reproductive freedom in necessary for a healthy and functional community.”

Bingman said the proposed bill forces women "into a lifelong obligation which impacts her education, career, family and community. Yet, the man does not have the same consequences.”

Bingman, too, said the bill lead to a lack of comprehensive reproductive health care that will lead to provider leaving the state. 

Iowa has among the fewest OB-GYN specialists per capita of any state in the country, according to data from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the state of Iowa.

Terry Pollard, senior pastor at Eastside Church of the Nazarene in Des Moines, said the bill "reminds us all that the baby in the womb has value – just as each of us has value with our beating heart.”

“Medical science concurs unequivocally, that the unborn child is full of life, vitality and meaning," Pollard said. “... We are caring for the needs of the vulnerable, and that includes the unborn child I the womb.”

Naya Thomas, a doula, told lawmakers she was "afraid, angry … as I sit here thinking about all the lives impacted by this proposed ban.”

Thomas said she works with OB-GYNS nurses and midwives and implored lawmakers to respect the "lives and the nuances and the intricacies of having a uterus.”

“Having a uterus comes with so much. … Do you know what it’s like to have a uterus and have to deal with reproductive disorders?” Thomas asked legislators.

Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates (formerly Iowans for LIFE), told lawmakers that "it is beyond time" to again pass and enforce the six-week abortion ban.

“Innocent lives have been lost while this law has been held up by injunctions and judges legislating from the bench," DeWitte siad. “And while this delay happened, an estimated 2,000 Iowa babies’ lives would have been saved every year.”

There were 3,761 abortions in Iowa in 2021, the most recent year for which numbers were available from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, compared with 36,786 total births.

That’s down about 7 percent compared with the 4,058 abortions performed in the state in 2020.

She added: “The truth of the matter is that we never want address the humanity of the child in the wombs, or share the regret and suffering women experience after having their abortion. We talk about women’s rights, but we don’t want to give those rights to girls in the womb. But the truth is abortion harms women, kills unborn children and it creates a society that devalues human life.”

She said the "heartbeat" abortion ban "is the next step in providing more protection for the most vulnerable in our society. Abortion is the human rights issue of our time. And we have waited long enough.”

As an issue that's deeply motivated by religious convictions, we've seen speakers both for and against this bill from faith communities during the Senate subcommittee hearing.

Catholic and evangelical organizations are supportive of the bill, invoking Bible passages and religious beliefs, but also arguing science supports their position.

Other Christian pastors from denominations like the United Church of Christ said that position does not represent the whole of Christian faith, and lawmakers are unfairly forcing their religious beliefs on others.

House Health and Human Services subcommittee of the whole votes 14-6, with Democrats opposed, to move House Study Bill 255. There was a smattering of "boos" from members of the public in the committee room as Republicans cast votes in support of the bill. Both parties are now caucusing before the committee reconvenes to debate and vote on the bill. A few members of the public lob obscentities as lawmakers leave the committee room. Another implores lawmakers to "listen to Iowans" citing polling by The Des Moines Register from March that suggests 61 percent of Iowans suppot safe, legal abortion in all or most cases.

There has been a sizable law enforcement presence in the Iowa Capitol rotunda today, keeping an eye on things. I have seen at least a half-dozen Iowa State Patrol officers for sure, but I'm quite certain there are more than that even. In fact, Iowa DPS Commissioner Bayens is in the Capitol rotunda himself, also observing the goings-on. 

Just one near-kerfuffle so far between a couple of emotionally charged demonstrators. Aside from that moment, the rotunda has been consistently loud, but relatively calm. 

Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair pushed back on the argument that the process has been rushed. She said the bill has been debated in the Legislature before and it has been in the Iowa Code since 2018, albeit under injunction.

"The bill that is before us, while it's going to have a different code number, has been discussed in this Legislature with ample opportunity, with all kinds of public input, and was passed and has been in law since 2018 under injunction," she said.

More chants of "vote them out" and "my body, my choice" outside of House Health and Human Services Committee meeting, which is about to get underway following the conclusion of the public hearing.

The Senate State Government Committee meeting to consider the abortion bill, Senate Study Bill 1223, is underway. Dozens of people are lined up for public comment.

The public comment and committee work will go until 2 p.m. at the latest, then the committee will vote on the bill. Sen. Jason Schulz, the committee chair, said they will allow most of the three-hour block for public comment. You can watch the committee meeting at this link.

As the public hearing on the six-week abortion ban bill continues, you can hear chants in the hallway of "we can't wait to vote you out."

A nonprofit founded by former Vice President and GOP presidential candidate Mike Pence called for the passage of the so-called fetal heartbeat bill in Iowa. 

Advancing American Freedom said Tuesday it was mobilizing activists to support the bill's passage. 

"The pro-life movement continues to stand for the lives of the unborn, but now in a more hopeful world,” AAF Executive Director Paul Teller said in a statement. “...AAF will continue to raise awareness for pro-life legislation in Iowa and around the country and we look forward to working with state leaders around the country to pass legislation that will protect the sanctity of life.”

The group started a digital ad push ahead of the bill's passage on Monday.

The Iowa Capitol rotunda is getting more and more packed. Advocates for abortion access far, far outnumber advocates for restricting abortions. But the latter are here. 

So is Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who said he wanted to be at the Capitol because he believes it's an historic moment and an example of a legislative body executing an agenda that is the will of the people they represent.

Abortion rights demonstrators calling GOP presidential candidate @VivekGRamaswamy “fascist” as he talks with the crowd gathered at Iowa Capitol. #ialegis pic.twitter.com/r2MfiZejHD

— Tom Barton (@tjbarton83) July 11, 2023

The Senate passed their rules package that requires the chamber to stop debate at 11 p.m. and immediately move to vote on the measure. Debate in the Senate will begin no later than 4 p.m., and the House is expected to follow a similar schedule. 

The resolution passed along party lines, 33-16, with Democrats opposed and Republicans in favor.

Senate Democrats argued the bill was being rushed through without giving Iowans proper time to weigh in. The bill, which would ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, was published on Friday. 

“I’m so very disappointed that we think that debate and public input is so unimportant when we are determining situations that people, individuals, will have to deal with for the rest of their life,” said Sen. Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport.

The House is currently holding a public hearing on the bill, while the Senate will hold a subcommittee hearing at 11, allowing members of the public to weigh in.

Tensions are high in the Capitol rotunda as pro and anti abortion rights groups are demonstrating. This altercation broke out after the man on the left started yelling “stop murdering babies” and eventually had to be broken up by a state trooper. pic.twitter.com/QJmk8r9YLb

— Caleb McCullough (@calebmcculIough) July 11, 2023

Reminder, you can watch the livestream of the public hearing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d14Fapm052U

A little excitement broke out here after an anti-abortion demonstrator, during a rare quiet moment inside the Capitol, yelled, “Stop murdering babies!” #ialegis pic.twitter.com/1zZuvVEvni

— Erin Murphy (@ErinDMurphy) July 11, 2023

Protesters chanting outside of hearing room on bill that would severely restrict abortion in Iowa. #ialegis pic.twitter.com/nEm5ogu89D

— Tom Barton (@tjbarton83) July 11, 2023

Iowa House adopts rules over objections of Democrats on a 53-32 party-line vote. Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights says the parameters are too narrow and "does not allow for real debate."

"It's not our job to get it to the governor faster. It's our job to debate the bill," Konfrst said. "This is not how a deliberative body" brings forward legislation 
Democrats and opponents say a majority of Iowans oppose.

The Senate and House have both gaveled in and are passing resolutions that set the rules and procedures for today's special session. We are officially under way. 

Here's today's schedule in the House:

8:30 am - Gavel in and adopte rules

9:00 am - HHS Committee Gavel-in - Committee will vote limit debate (time certain) for committee to 2 pm then recess for public hearing

9:30 am – Public hearing in Room 103 (overflow to watch public hearing in Rooms 102, Room 19) 

Livestream available at: https://www.facebook.com/iowahousedemocrats

11 am - HHS Committee reconvenes to pass bill *** parties will likely both caucus first ***

Livestream available at: https://www.facebook.com/iowahousedemocrats

11:30 am – Planned Parenthood Rally in the Rotunda

2 pm - HHS Committee ends

2:15 pm – Parties go to caucus

3 - 4 pm (?) - Floor debate starts

Watch online at: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/dashboard?view=videoLive&chamber=H

More than 100 people signed up to speak at the public hearing on the bill, roughly evenly split between pro and con.

While the number of speakers/time is limited during the public hearing (speaking is limited to 2 minutes per person alternating between those in support and opposed) as of last night, more than 1,000 Iowans submitted comments. According to House Democrats, the overwhelming majority were opposed to the bill, while just 37 Iowans support the bill. Here’s the link to view the comments/list: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/publicHearings?meetingID=37439&action=viewComments

Greetings, Iowa. While we wait for things to get officially rolling, don't forget to check out our team's preview of today's special session. It contains all the information you need to be prepared for today's action. You can read that story here.

You can find language of the "fetal heartbeat" bill lawmakers will consider here: (House version)

And here: (Senate version)

You can find information on the public hearing on the bill here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/publicHearings

You can also view comments submitted on the bill here.

Here's the schedule for today's #ialegis special session. You can find more information, including livestreams of the public hearing and floor debates at the Iowa Legislature website: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/. 

8:30 a.m.: both chambers gavel in for the special session, vote to adopt rules

9:15 a.m.: House HHS committee meeting begins (will adjourn for public hearing)

9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.: public hearing

11 a.m.: House HHS committee resumes

11 a.m.: Senate State Government committee meeting begins

2 p.m.: Senate State Government committee ends (if still going)

4 p.m.: Senate debate begins

11 p.m.: Senate debate ends (if still going)