Iowa Legislature Public Hearings

Paula Denison [Catholics for Choice]

CON

I am Polly Denison from Van Horne, Iowa, and I am a prochoice Catholic. Im here to say that Catholics can, in good conscience, support access to abortion and affirm that abortion can be a moral choice. Indeed, many of us do.Im here today as one of the majority of Catholics, in Iowa and across the country, who stand with Catholics for Choice. I come here to represent those voices and to speak in deep opposition to HJR 2004. The measures proposed in this bill are a violation of many of the core principles my Catholic faith teaches.Iowa is home to more than 480,000 Catholics, making up 15% of the states population. It is home to a whopping 15 Catholic Healthcare facilities and nearly 400 parishes.Decades of polling tells us that a solid majority of Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in the United States and six in 10 Catholics believe abortion can be a moral choice. And the Catholics in Iowa agree. Last winter I started to reclaim my faith. I was raised Catholic but struggled a great deal with the church hierarchys position on things like abortion, women's equality and marriage. Then, in the fall, I found a group called Catholics for Choice. I learned that I am a good Catholic because I question these positions, and because I follow my conscience. Because I follow my conscience even when it calls me to take a contrary view.Our church has taught us that we are obligated to follow our conscience and make moral and ethical decisions based on our own judgment. It's refreshing and enlightening. I am prochoice because of my Catholic faith, not in spite of it. The two are not in conflict.I have attached a letter from Catholics for Choice Acting President Sara Hutchinson Ratcliffe, emphasizing how important the idea of conscience is to Catholics like me.The Catechism states that a human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. It is both a gift and a responsibility that we are called to always follow our conscience above all else and to respect the right of others to do the same. Please appreciate the breadth of Catholic opinion on these issues and dont be deceived by the Iowa Catholic Conference, their conservative allies and antichoice interest groups who claim to speak for all Iowans. Be assured, Catholics like me support access to the full range of reproductive health services. I urge you to reject HJR 2004 as a sign of your commitment to the moral autonomy of Iowans like me. It is the right thing to do.

Mark Jondal []

CON

The state of Iowa flag clearly states "OUR rights we will maintain" not some peoples, not certain people but OUR RIGHTS. Those public servants who are determined to strip Iowans of their rights are not only violating the public's trust but trampling on our constitution and our faith in government. It's not your job to legislate morality based on a radical fraction of our population's religious beliefs. You are not god and should not insert yourselves as his replacement.

Luana Stoltenberg [Operation Outcry]

PRO

I am a woman hurt by abortion that would like to share my abortion story.

Eric Borseth []

PRO

I am in favor of this bill. I would like to speak on the pro side of the discussion.

Kevin L Miller [Voter]

CON

I say a womens right to their choice is just that, you like your guns I do too I carry. Thats our choice now if we can carry tools to end a life, a women should be able to make a choice on something that is not technically anything but a cluster of dna and cells. I am very bipartisan but we cant allow men to choose for women and drive them into the dark times and have women dying and being forced to go out of state for something that is already a difficult choice most men in office most likely have had a women close them use this option and not realized it because its not something people widely announce please rethink your votes Kevin Miller

Anonymous [None]

CON

This proposed amendment is obscene and flagrantly unconstitutional. It will have huge impacts on Iowans, including medical programs (you think anyone will come to an Iowa school for an obstetrics and gynecology program if theyre forbidden from learning certain medical procedures?). This amendment is short sighted and dangerous and will impact poor people and people of color, who are not at all represented by this legislature. Republicans are assaulting our rights and this amendment needs to be shut down immediately. Iowa could not look more backwards to the rest of the nation.

Anonymous [League of Women Voters]

CON

The League of Women voters has a long history of defending the rights of women including the right to make decisions about her own body. Abortion have occured since ancient times and no law or regulation can stop it. What a law will do is make it difficult, dangerous and expensive especially for low income women. I would hope our legislators would find a better use of their time and energy in providing health, education and protection for all Iowans including the most vulnerable such as nursing home residents and the residents of the Glenwood Resource Center.

Nathan Oppman [The Family Leader]

PRO

I fully support efforts to rein in rogue courts and to protect life from the moment of conception. I am pleased that this bill is moving forward!

William Brown []

CON

I am opposed to this legislation. This is just another attempt to take away the rights of women to make their own medical decisions. Women should have the right to chose if they want an abortion no matter what the circumstances (Including rape and incest)

Anonymous [Individual]

CON

This amendment is nothing more than a push for individuals to force their claimed religious beliefs on the rest of the general population.

Anonymous [Private Citizen]

CON

I am an Iowa Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has worked with many women who are working through what to do about an unwanted pregnancy. I do not believe that anyone who has not been in this situation can understand how painful this is, nor can they understand the struggle in understanding and working through the process of deciding what to do. No one other than these women should have the right to insert theirselves into this decision making process.

david eric brown [self/retired]

CON

HJR 2004 is not necessary. Medical procedures chosen by people in Iowa are not the business of Iowa Legislators.

Anonymous [Citizen]

CON

This is a travesty to our human rights. DO NOT support this!!

Kathleen Breckunitch []

CON

I oppose HJR 2004. This will lead to women not having the right to make their own health decisions. My Methodist Church has in its Book of Discipline that the right to chose an abortion is decided between the doctor and the woman and her relationship with God.

Sarah Singelee []

CON

Dear Legislators, Governor, and Anyone Reading This:Antiabortion and prolife policy is just as draconian as Chinas one and twochild policies. If you are in favor of antiabortion and prolife policies, please reconsider. Taking away access to safe and legal abortion procedures is in spirit the same as the forced abortions and sterilizations that have occurred under Chinas one and twochild policies. Both are instances of the state overstepping and suppressing individual reproductive sovereignty, privacy, and choice. Forcing the impregnated to carry a pregnancy to term, regardless of circumstances or how they feel about the impregnator, is just as draconian as forcing an abortion on someone who wants a child. In the former, proponents cite religious faith and morality and in the latter China has cited population control. How would the proposed antiabortion constitutional amendment make Iowa like China? Such an amendment would turn us into a state that, like China, butts into personal reproductive decisions and takes away individual rights. Do we really want the state to become the 800pound gorilla making sure that the unwillingly impregnated stay restrained and pregnant in the name of the unborn and the faithbased, not evidencebased, agenda of one faction of their fellow citizenry? How would that faithbased faction of citizenry feel if the state imposed forced abortions on them because a populationcontrol faction had gained political power? Neither are hypothetical situations but have actually played out in different global states, including our nation. In our state of Iowa, we have a good middle ground of choice. Dont mess it up. Taking away choice in either direction on this is an attack on freedom.Instead of attempting to legislate one factions opinion down everyones throats, a more effective path might be to focus on creating a state where everyone has access to outstanding reproductive health care and where teenaged adopted children like Natalie Finn dont starve to death because the State has failed in its duties to the born.If you have publicly declared yourself prolife and antiabortion, there are ways to work towards reducing the number of abortions sought without relying on the state to impose your way on everyone. No, I do not mean legislating undue burdens on women and girls to restrict and deny access and generally make our lives more difficult. How about opening nonprofit daycares and paying the staff living wages? What about more support for women to work or not work as needed based on their health needs during pregnancy while still maintaining enough income to live on? What about addressing those vulnerable months postbirth where some people don't have the financial resources to take twelve weeks of unpaid family medical leave, if they even qualify for this. If your agenda is to protect mothers and the unborn, then focus your energies on creating policies that support people instead of slamming our hardwon women's rights. Remember that there is a difference between evangelism and coercion. Attempting to amend the Iowa Constitution as a groundwork for taking away access to safe and legal abortions goes too far into the realm of coercion.Sincerely,Sarah Singelee

Anonymous []

PRO

I am in support of a constitutional amendment which defends the dignity of human life. We need to protect mothers and unborn children from efforts to expand abortion as seen in New York. Thank You,Kevin & Liz Hendress (& Family)

Anonymous [NARAL]

CON

ProChoice

Penny Cahill []

CON

I am adamantly opposed to this proposed piece of backwards legislation! Women in Iowa do not deserve to have their health and their bodies controlled by a bunch of Biblethumping incompetent socalled leaders. This degradation of the autonomy of women should be and IS unconstitutional. Stop this dystopian decline into a misogynistic, inhumane descent into a dark, ignorancefilled fire & brimstone hell.

Blaine Rittmer []

CON

This is a completely unnecessary resolution. Many things are not in the Iowa Constitution, yet are obviously covered under basic freedoms. The right to abortion as a basic physical and medical freedom is transparently one of these. We must not add this blatant language of gender discrimination to our foundational document.

Elaine Donovan [private citizen]

CON

There has been an endless war on women's rights. I oppose such legislation as it will not put an end to abortion. It will put an end to safe abortion. We know how this goes as it is the true reason for why it is a constitutional right to choose. We brought abortion out of the back alleys and into the physician's office.It is appalling to think we are still fighting for the right to choose. I think if we are to be fair then we should also be talking about men's reproductive rights. We could legislate the use of condoms and Viagra. Sounds nuts but it sounds nuts that women have to jump through hoops to attain a safe and legal abortion.

Anonymous []

CON

I grew up in the Catholic Church (Im now Baptist) and believe life begins at conception. However over time I have come to appreciate the disproportionate impact prolife legislation has on poor women and women of color. That is why I am prochoice today. I do not believe it is the governments place to legislate a womans right to choose, and urge members of the Iowa Legislature to reject efforts to turn back the clock on Roe v. Wade.

Renee Aamodt [None]

PRO

Thank you for allowing me to represent my opinion to my representatives.

Andrew Kelley []

CON

This is already an established federal right for Americans. This amendment serves no functional purpose except to inject nonmedicallyinformed partisan ideology into Iowans federal right to privacy. Please reject this resolution.

Margaret Stoldorf [3rd Congressional District Executive Committee]

PRO

There is northing more sacred than LIFE itself and it deserves to be protected in every aspect by every person. The Iowa Legislature passed the 'Heartbeat Bill", a piece of legislation that was trendsetting and has since been duplicated by a number of other states. It gave a voice to the unborn who could not be put to death after their little heartbeat was detectable. The legislation was overturned by an opinion from the bench. How many little hearts will stop beating because of that opinion by a liberal judge who craved power and notoriety?To the Iowa Legislature: please protect LIFE and allow those tiny little hearts to keep beating. I hope the Legislature will approve this bill and take the first step to amend the Iowa Constitution and protect LIFE and the unborn. Thank you.

Jean Regenwether []

CON

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen. A woman's choice for an abortion is not or has ever been your choice, nor do you have the right to govern over that choice for her. The decision is hers, and none of you know the reason for that difficult decision she is making. She may have consulted with her physician, her family, person of faith or counselor. Maybe there was no one to speak with about this decision. She has the right to have the procedure done with the safety and professionalism of a health care provider. How dare you sit there in judgement over this most difficult personal decision. Is pregnancy caused by rape or incest ok with you, or making a 12 year old child deliver a baby? Stay out of this decision.

Pierrette Wolfe [Ms.]

CON

Amending the Iowa Constitution is an expensive and cumbersome proceeding stretching out into years. It is absolutely unnecessary; federal law already grants a woman the right to make that difficult decision without interference from the state, at least until viability. The state has an interest in what happens once a fetus is viable, and on that, Iowas current laws are sufficient and working well, and do not need further interference by the Legislature. A woman has the right to control her medical needs with the advice and counsel of her medical professionals, and of her clergy if she wishes to. I want my legislators to concentrate on protecting life by funding good health insurance, good mental health facilities, and good schools. That gives them plenty to do.

Jeannine Kosman []

CON

Please consider the lives of women when voting on this amendment! Im old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal and it was frightening. I morally oppose abortion and would support any of my loved ones in an unplanned pregnancy in the best way possible to ensure the health of mother and baby, HOWEVER I know that this must be a decision that each woman decides for herself. I do not have a magic ball that tells me every situation that a woman or girl may be in and neither do you. I beg you to vote for the health and safety of the women of Iowa by voting NO.

Cynthia J. Volcko [Mrs.]

PRO

I support this joint resolution and urge the Iowa legislators to support this amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa.

Don Stuva [None]

PRO

Several women that I have heard commented on an abortion that they have had. It is the guilt feeling that they had taken the life of their very own child. Abortion is wrong even any age. Just because we cannot hear the baby scream does not make it right or take away the guilt that will come. One day they that do an abortion or have it done and those that support it will one day stand before God in Judgement.

Sharon Hude []

PRO

As an Iowan who believes in the absolute value of life as the bedrock of our civilization, as one of the most important rights "LIFE, liberty, or property," I cannot understand HOW we can evade our responsibilities as citizens to protect the right of unborn children. Unborn children remember have a unique and different DNA than either of their parents. Why should a mother deny that different unborn person the right to life?

Jeri Le Henry []

PRO

I support this change to our constitution to help save lives of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Erik Beiwel [Crusaders Council and NEIA Pro-Lifers]

PRO

20 Facts on AbortionFact #1 Every single abortion kills, ends the life, and murders an innocent human being. Every new life begins at conception. This is an irrefutable fact of biology. A visible electric spark is produced when the sperm penetrates the egg, in that instant that human being now has all the genetic information he/she will ever have.Fact #2 Every human being is a person. Personhood is properly defined by membership in the human kind, not by stage of development within that kind. A living being's designation to a kind is determined not by the stage of development but by the sum total of its biological characteristics.Fact #3 Beginning at conception, every pregnancy involves two or more bodies. No matter how you spin it, women don't have four arms and four legs when they're pregnant. Those extra limbs belong to the tiny human being(s) living inside of them. At no point in pregnancy is the developing baby simply a part of the mother's body.Fact #4 It is just, reasonable, and necessary for society to outlaw certain choices. Any civilized society restricts the individuals freedom to choose whenever that choice would harm an innocent person. Therefore, it is impossible to justify abortion by simply arguing that women should be free to choose.Fact #5 The right to not be killed supersedes the right to not be pregnant. The comparison between a baby's rights and a mother's rights is unequal. What is at stake in abortion is the mothers lifestyle, as opposed to the babys LIFE. Therefore, it is reasonable for society to expect an adult to live temporarily with an inconvenience if the only alternative is killing a child.Fact #6 Poverty, rape, incest, disability, or unwanted do not morally justify abortion. There are all sorts of circumstances that people point to as justification for their support of abortion. Since none of these circumstances are sufficient to justify the killing of human beings after birth, they are not sufficient to justify the killing of human beings before birth.Fact #7 The difference between embryo and adult are differences of degree, not of kind. Like toddler, prepubescent and adolescent, the terms embryo and fetus do not refer to nonhumans but to humans at particular stages of development. Human beings inside the womb are smaller, less developed, and more dependent than human beings outside the womb. These are differences of degree, not differences of kind. We can all point to people who are bigger, stronger, smarter, or less dependent than we are, but that doesn't make our life any less valuable or any less deserving of protection.Fact # 8 Less than 1% of all abortions are performed to save the life of the mother. It is an extremely rare case when abortion is required to save the mothers life. Of course, when two lives are threatened, and only one can be saved, doctors must always save that life. However, abortion to save the mothers life, and abortion on demand are as far removed as the East is from the West. Since every abortion kills an innocent human being, it is morally despicable to use the rare cases when abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother as justification for the millions of on demand convenience abortions.Fact #9 To be personally proLIFE is not to be proLIFE at all. Since abortion kills, why would you defend another persons right to kill a human being? Being personally against abortion but favoring another's right to kill is contradictory and morally bankrupt.Fact #10 If there is uncertainty about when human life begins, the benefit of any doubt should go to preserving life. It is scientific fact that life begins at conception. However, if one personally has even a shred of uncertainty about when life begins, then they are morally obliged to err on the side of life and NOT have an abortion. Why? Because to make a mistake about the exact time when life begins is to kill an innocent human being.Fact #11 Abortion is more dangerous than childbirth. Not only does every abortion kill an innocent human being; but abortion is also much more dangerous to the mother than if she were to give birth to the child. The evidence overwhelmingly proves that the mortality rates of mothers undergoing legal abortion are several times higher than mortality rates of mothers carrying the pregnancy to term.Fact #12 Before legalization and the resulting proliferation of abortion, 9 out of 10 abortions were done by doctors, not with coat hangers in back alleys. Some justify abortion on the claim that if it is outlawed, women will still seek abortions and die in higher numbers then currently. There are 3 problems with this hypothesis. First : It doesn't address the moral and ethical bankruptcy of abortion. Second : Laws against abortion would deter most women from having one. Third : There is no evidence that illegal abortions are more dangerous than legal abortions. Even if the back alley coat hanger argument was true, it's still indefensible to legalize procedures that kill babies just to make the killing procedures less dangerous to the mother.Fact #13 The 8 week unborn baby feels real physical pain during an abortion. Yes, every abortion kills an innocent human being. Even more alarming is the fact that beginning at the 8th week of development, an unborn baby that is aborted feels pain during the abortion. The baby feels both psychological and real physical pain. Let that sink in. In talking about the question of fetal pain, we must remember that it ultimately has no bearing on the morality of abortion.Fact #14 Abortion is condemned for the same reasons that slavery and genocide are. The GOD given right to live free is violated as an active policy. Networks of killing centers across the globe are exterminating unwanted, unborn children at a staggering rate. At the end of the day, if the unborn are people (and they are), then abortion is not only comparable to past crimes against humanity but is also, by sheer volume, the greatest holocaust of all.Fact #15 Abortion is not just a women's issue. In addition to the immediate and long term physical consequences on the mother, Abortion inflicts real wounds mental, emotional, spiritual, developmental, and relationship on both men and women. These include guilt, trauma, remorse, depression, substance abuse, and other pathos resulting from grave sin. Beyond that, abortion is a human issue, not a gender issue. If abortion kills innocent human life (it does), then everyone, male and female, should stand against it. One doesn't need to be a young girl to oppose sex trafficking of young girls, and one doesn't need to be a woman to oppose abortion.Fact #16 Every legal surgical abortion stops a beating heart and terminates measurable brain waves. What do we call it when a person no longer has a heartbeat or brain waves? Death. It's a scientific fact that life begins at conception, but even more obvious; what should we call it when there is a heartbeat and there are brain waves? Life. It is an indisputable fact that each and every legal surgical abortion in America today stops a beating heart and stops already measurable brain waves.Fact #17: The right to not be killed supersedes the right to privacy. Some defend abortion by claiming that they have a right to privacy. Whether they have an abortion or not is between them and their doctor. Everyone else should stay out of their business. Of course, if abortion kills an innocent human being (it does), then killing done in private is no more acceptable than killing done in public; and the encouragement or assistance of a doctor does not change the nature, consequences, or morality of abortion.Fact #18: Abortion disproportionally targets minority babies. Whatever the intent of the abortion industry may be, by functional standards, abortion is a racist institution. In the United States, black children are aborted at 5 times the rate of white children and Hispanic children don't fare much better. Abortion is the leading cause of death among black Americans. Abortion is by no means an equal opportunity killer.Fact #19: Abortion has become a form of gendercide, shrinking the global female population at an alarming rate. On top of the fact that every abortion kills an innocent human being, abortion has also become the driving force in eliminating females around the globe. Estimates put the global gender gap somewhere between 100 and 200 million people. Abortion has become the most effective means of sexism ever devised, ridding the world of multitudes of unwanted females.Fact #20: Laws concerning abortion have significantly influenced whether women choose to have abortions. Some will agree that every abortion kills an innocent human being. They will also agree that society has a right to outlaw choices that harm innocent human beings. But even after agreeing those points, some still do not favor more stringent abortion laws because they think that they wouldnt really work there would still be too many abortions. Historical data, common morality, and basic legal theory prove this line of thinking to be false. Outlawing abortion decreases abortion and saves innocent lives.

Anonymous []

CON

Roe v Wade was approved for a reasonwho in the world are you to tell me that I cannot do something, if thats my decision, that the federal government has already decided is legal?!?! Making abortion illegal will only make more women go underground get one. You will be killing women left and right. Ive lost a childrenfull term still birth and then 1.5 yrs later a miscarriage at 12 weeks. That baby, it was later learned, was not compatible with life. He would have died a very horrible, painful death. Had he lived until we had gotten that diagnosis we would have made the decision to terminate the pregnancy. ITS MY RIGHT to make that decision. Quit trying to impose your beliefs on me. Ultimately, the finals decision is up to your almighty God that you claim to be representing.

Natali Woltz []

PRO

I wish to express my sincere belief that life begins at conception and should be protected. I support this amendment that will help in accomplishing this.

Donna R. Lamphier [Mrs.]

PRO

Isaiah 49:1516 King James Version 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? E they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Andrea Thompson []

CON

The government should not be legislating health and reproductive decisions. Abortion should continue to be a protected right as a decision made by a woman with her healthcare provider. The right to make decisions about our private reproductive issues free from government intrusion, is the foundation of liberty.

Anonymous []

CON

I'm not interested in having the state make medical decisions that belong to the women of Iowa. These women have the right to obtain, or not obtain, abortions and proper health care. It is perfectly obvious that the state government of Iowa is probirth, not prolife, because the policies of this state government have been insufficient to support the lives of babies as they grow up in Iowa. If this amendment ever passed, I would urge all young women in the state of Iowa, including my own daughter, to leave the state and find a more enlightened place to live.

Ronald C Rice [Tama Baptist Church]

PRO

I will be praying for life to undo death.

Vicki Grooters [none]

PRO

We must keep our country from legalizing abortion at any time after conception.

Nicole Cable []

CON

As a nurse who has worked 10yrs at Planned Parenthood, 2yrs at MidIowa Fertility, and now 5yrs at one of metro's largest high schools, I stand firmly against HJR 2004. Access to comprehensive reproductive health care must remain a right for women of all ages. Abortion is one piece of the reproductive health care spectrum. It is an intensely personal health care decision. Government has NO place inserting itself into personal health care decisions. If you want to reduce abortion numbers, go about it by supporting things that actually workcomprehensive sex education in schools, access to long term reversible contraception, etc.

Janelle Gentz []

PRO

Please defend life. End the right to kill babies. They deserve to have a right to live.

MARILYN KROCHESKI [CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAS AND LEGION OF MARY]

PRO

LIFE IS THE ONLY WAY OR YOU ARE DOOMED TO HADES FOREVER. THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE... I WOULD HATE TO BE ON A DEATHBED WAITING TO DIE AND SEE THE LORD WITH THAT TERRIBLE AND AWFUL SIN ON MY SOUL.. MAYBE HE WOULD OR MAYBE HE WOULDNOT GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE, LIKE HE HAS SOME PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES, I WOULD NOT WANT TO TAKE THAT CHANCE, OR DO YOU LOVE HELL THAT MUCH AND SATAN ALSO?? IF YOU DO THEN YOU ARE DOOMED TO HELL FOREVER.... YOU NEVER GET OUT OF HELL ONCE YOU'RE THERE... ONCE YOU GO INTO THE FIREY PIT OF HELL THERE IS NO RECOURSE TO ESCAPE EVER... WE NEVER KNOW WHEN DEATH WILL COME, MAYBE WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT IT, IT WILL COME AND THEN IT WILL BE TOO LATE...SO SAD, SO BAD....

Anonymous [Mrs.]

CON

I object to SJR2001 and HJR2004

Thomasina Hutchins [Citizen]

PRO

I am a woman, mother, scientist, and concerned citizen. I could go into all of the usual arguments about why abortion is wrong. I will simply say this: it comes down to one basic fact. Scientifically, human life begins when a new human person is created, when their unique DNA comes into existence. This human person has never before existed and never will exist again. Throughout their gestation, their body grows, using this DNA to guide it's development. Abortion is the intentional destruction of this unique, individual, HUMAN person no matter if it is done at 9 days or 9 months gestation. So, simply do you support the ending of life by definition, murder? We cannot allow the rampant acceptance of this heinous act to continue in Iowa.

Janet Otis [Citizen]

PRO

Life is a gift from God, and not one that He wants us to make our choice. We are to be PROTECTORS OF LIFE....unborn and born....choose life and let us, as a people, protect life!

Anonymous []

CON

Please stop trying to take away women's rights. There are so many more important things to do than constantly try to relitigate abortion rights. Take care of the children already born.

Dave Thede [None]

CON

Do not pass the Protect Life Amendment. It is an insult to all Iowans and an unnecessary waste of time and taxpayer money.

John D Menietti [University of Iowa]

PRO

There is no "right" to abortion granted in the United States Constitution. "Roe vs Wade" was decided by a misconstrued "right to privacy". There is, however, a right to LIFE that is recognized in the Declaration of Independence!

Anonymous [Self]

CON

Here's the thing, I am both prolife and prochoice. This legislation is beyond the pale in assaulting a women's right to choose what happens to her own body in a supposedly "free" country. I may consider getting behind a lateterm abortion ban with exceptions being made for women's health, rape, or incest, but to amend our state constitution to take away a women's right to choose is complete politicalcraziness. If you want to take away abortion rights and claim to be prolife, you better be willing to be protripling welfare, proadoption reform to make it more costeffective and easy to adopt, prohealth care, and procost effective eduction otherwise this legislation is hypocritical and tells me that anyone who supports this legislation is in fact not prolife. Stay out of free people's bedrooms and stay out of free people's bodies. That is not the role of the government. More importantly, no legislation like this, or person supporting it, can claim that they have the right to impose their life experience onto other citizens. Not everyone has the luxury of growing up in a supportive household with a network of resources and support around them. You can't limit access to family planning AND take away a women's right to choose at the same time. It literally is crazy, hypocritical, and represents major government overreach. Let free people make that incredibly difficult choice on their own between them and their God, not their freaking government.

Melisa Clapper []

PRO

There is no right to an abortion in the Iowa Constitution. Unelected judges are ruling as though that right has already been established under our Constitution. The peoples voice is being silenced on this issue, and the judges are abusing their power. If this is a right that the people want to have protected in the courts, then an amendment must be made to our Constitution stating that the right exists. I support HJR 2004.

Julie Oltman [Iowa resident]

PRO

Please know how passionate we are for saving babies, they are a gift from God.

Bethany Jordan [None, private citizen]

CON

This bill is appalling. There are many reasons a woman may need an abortion during pregnancy. I have had 2 friends diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after giving birth, one had an aggressive form and died before her baby was 1 year old. The other successfully completed chemo. Neither knew they had breast cancer while they were pregnant, but if they had known and wanted to complete chemo to save their lives, under this bill they may not be able to. I have many questions about the repercussions of this bill: What if something goes wrong with my pregnancy and I need one? Could I be denied an abortion because it says in our constitution that I have no right to one? Would my insurance try to deny coverage, even if my doctor determines it's necessary for my health? Would my doctor be unwilling to give me an abortion, even if medically necessary, because risk of criminal charges? If I miscarry, will I be investigated? What if I get raped and get pregnant, can I get an abortion? My first pregnancy was high risk, and I had complications that required a csection. What if this pregnancy is harder or I die because of complications? Should my daughter grow up without a mother because I was raped and died in childbirth? If there are exceptions for rape or incest, does it have to be proven in a court of law for me to get an abortion? How long would this take? How much money would I have to spend on attorney fees? What if false claims of rape increase as a result? What if abused women are too scared to file a charge, or if they just want to move on with their life? What about women in low paying jobs or with poor healthcare? I was lucky to have good healthcare and a good job with sick time that I could use when it was too hard to work while I was pregnant. Should others be forced to endure an agonizing pregnancy or risk losing their job? What if I get cancer while pregnant and need treatment that would severely harm the baby? Do I have to file an appeal or fill out some application to save my life? Who decides this? How long would the approval process take? What if a baby has unsurvivable abnormalities? How do you know that you aren't forcing a baby in the womb to endure severe pain?These are just some of the very personal worries that I and other women go through, and legislators are forcing us to face our deepest fears. All of these are questions that I shouldn't have to ask my legislators, and they have no right to answer them. These are decisions that should be made between me, my family and my doctor.Instead of making pregnancy and birth harder on women, all legislators and the Governor should be focusing on improving maternal health. We have the LEAST number of obstetricians per capita in the country, our maternal mortality rate has DOUBLED from 2015 to 2018. It is particularly hard in rural areas to find appropriate obstetric care during pregnancy and this bill will exacerbate these issues.

Anonymous [none]

CON

A woman is perfectly capable of making an educated choice that is right for her and her circumstance. Please leave these decisions to women.

Chad Shonkwiler [1984]

CON

I am absolutely against this amendment. This would be a gross infringement on the reproductive Rights of all women in the State of Iowa, and it seems like an attempt to write law that is influenced by religious beliefs, which goes against the principles of Separation of Church and State that our nation was founded upon. The government has no place to determine what is right for any woman's personal health, and has no right to prioritize or value the rights of any one life versus any other, born or unborn.

Anonymous []

PRO

Please pass this resolution and protect legislative power. The judiciary does NOT get to make laws. Please note this amendment would not forbid abortion it just says there is no constitutional right to an abortion. It would and should be up to the Iowa legislature to write any future laws that pertain to abortion. Thank you for your time and service to our state.

Samantha Ferm [N/A]

CON

This does not support women, their bodies, their health, or their mental health in the event of such an action as miscarriage or the need for abortion. Stay in your lane, GOP men. You do not belong in our bodies, nor do you get to legislate them,

Anonymous []

CON

No. Just no. A corpse should not have more body autonomy than a living woman. The Iowa Constitution recognizes that humans are equal and humans should have control over their bodies. This includes not being forced against their will to provide blood or any other organs to save a life. If a woman wants to cease carrying a fetus, that is her right as it is not required. Unless all of you want to sign up to be organ donors without consent if the organs are needed, you need to stop this.

Carmen Cerra []

CON

Unless there is a plan to dramatically increase funding for social services, economic aid, and education for poor mothers and young children, this bill should not even be considered. Too often, "prolifers" choose to support birth, but will not lift a finger or pay the tax increases needed to support those who are forced to have a baby who may not have the means to support that baby; bills such as this have nothing to do with life and everything to do with religious power and partisan control of women.

Anonymous []

CON

Absolutely not. This is unconstitutional and has already been decided by Roe vs. Wade.

Anonymous []

CON

I am a constituent from Ankeny, and I strongly oppose this bill. While I understand that there are many people who oppose access to abortion, it is truly a vital, life saving procedure. There are women who need them to survive and taking away access to abortions may well take their lives. The choice to have an abortion is not a cavalier decision, it is a difficult decision to make. Instead of expending so much effort on removing access to vital, life saving procedures, I instead urge those who consider themselves "ProLife" to put those efforts into providing care for low income families and single mothers. Perhaps those efforts make make the thought of a child less daunting to those who feel they have no choice. I also implore those seeking to remove access to abortion to value the life of the woman, and consider how being forced to have a child will affect her. Any woman seeking an abortion has certainly done so and should have the right to make hold her future in her own hands.

James Thompson []

CON

Legislating a moral code is tyranny. Abortion does no harm to the state, but the oppression of reproductive rights does great harm to society. Can people not be trusted to act in their best interests, and decide what those actions will be? The authors and signers of this bill imply that the people are unable to make these choices themselves."To turn all moral obligations into legal obligations would be to destroy morality. Happily it is impossible. No code of law can envisage the myriad changing situations that determine moral obligations. Moreover, there must be one legal code for all, but moral codes vary as much as the individual characters of which they are the expression. To legislate against the moral codes of ones fellows is a very grave act, requiring for its justification the most indubitable and universally admitted of social gains, for it is to steal their moral codes, to suppress their characters."R.M. MacIver (18821970), Scottish sociologist, educator. The Modern State, ch. 5, Oxford University Press (1926).

Wendy Bissell []

CON

Women should have the right to make a medical decision about their own body! It amazes me that anyone thinks the government & Pro lifers should be dictating what women can or Can Not do with their own body! No one but the women knows her situation and her reasons for getting an abortion. And its no ones business if she chooses to have one.

Anonymous [None]

CON

I dont support this legislature. People should be able to make choices about what they do with their own bodies.

Anonymous []

CON

We have already lived through a time in history when poor and disadvantaged women did not have access to these services. Rich women continued to get abortions while the poor and disadvantaged were told to "live with their choice". We cannot go back. This bill will disproportionately affect poor and disadvantaged Iowa women.

WILLIAM HOLLENSED []

PRO

It is important this become law since the majority of the voters in Iowa support life.

Mark Hantla []

CON

This bill fails to clarify any definition of abortion or provide terms under which what is normally called an abortion would be legal for mothers of stillborns, mothers in an early term whose lives might be in danger, or other commonlysupported and importanttospecify situations. Complications will ask arise from the lack of defining abortion. Is this strictly an intended action of a surgical or medical procedure, or would it also encompass the side effect of either naturallyoccurring processes or chemicallyinduced processes? Because the bill offers no clarity, we would be left with no clarity in the law. Because these issues are left unclear, this bill is in no position to provide legal clarity to Iowans, and it is not appropriate to bring it to a vote in its current form. Iowa legislators need to think through these issues they which they may view as being at the margin, and provide clarity to Iowans so we may engage in a productive discussion of the proper definition limits of abortion. Merely attempting to ban abortion carte blanche is an overly blunt and ultimately unproductive action.

Sean Siberski []

CON

I vehemently opposes the proposal. I cannot believe that the elected representatives of Iowa could entertain the idea of passing this. Anyone of sound mind and unbigoted perspective understands the importance of reproductive rights and would never support this amendment.

Debora Carmody []

CON

I am against abortion and want my voice heard

Krysten Reid []

CON

I do not support my state telling 50% of the population what they can and cannot do with their bodies.

Carson DeMille []

CON

I firmly believe that women, just like anyone else, have the right to make decisions about their own body. Comprehensive reproductive care should be a fundamental right, and it's absolutely ridiculous to still be fighting for the bodily autonomy of women in 2020.

Doreen Chamberlin []

CON

Dear Legislator,I am writing to urge you to consider my concerns with House Joint Resolution 2004. I vehemently oppose the notion that an authoritative body can impose their will on my and my daughters right to make decisions regarding when and if to have a family. This legislation would impact my and all women of Iowas freedom to consider our personal, family, religious views and doctors advice regarding whether or not to seek abortion services. It assumes all such personal and life changing decisions must be made by the State.I had a very difficult time getting pregnant and needed significant reproductive medical assistance to have my first child, a daughter. I thank God for her every day but also pray that she and all other women maintain their right to make these significant decisions within their own family and not by State enforced rules created by special interest groups that seek to control the lives of other Iowans. Thank you in advance for considering my freedom to exercise my God given rights.Sincerely,Doreen Chamberlin

Anonymous [None]

CON

This is between a female and her physician, plain and simple. Government should not legislate a woman's reproductive parts period, unless you would like to also add a house bill to interfere with a man's testicles and penis?

Rebecca Chamberlin [Graduate Student at Georgetown University ]

CON

I am writing to urge you to consider my concerns with House Joint Resolution 2004. I vehemently oppose the resolution. In a free America, no authoritative body can impose their will on a person's body or make decisions regarding when and if someone should have a family. This legislation would impact my and all women of Iowas freedom to consider our own personal, family, religious views, and doctors advice regarding whether or not to seek abortion services. It assumes all such personal and lifechanging decisions must be made by the State. A woman's right to make these significant decisions should be left to her and her family. Thank you in advance for considering my freedom to maintain my rights.Sincerely, Rebecca Chamberlin

Samantha Hoesing []

CON

I value a womans right to control her own body. Abortion is a womans right, and a choice made solely between her and her doctor. We cant go backwards on this issue.

Daniel Mintz []

PRO

This amendment will simply restore our state constitution back to what it was; it will not prohibit abortion, but rather allow our elected representatives and the people of Iowa to make decisions regarding the health, safety and wellbeing of its citizens.

Adam Hundertmark []

CON

Bodily autonomy should be respected, any attempts to restrict it should be met with ridicule.

Anonymous []

PRO

Abortion is murder. Please support the ban on abortion and the public funding of it.

Abigail Buenneke []

CON

It's shameful that the state of Iowa is even considering banning abortion. Without access to legalized, safe abortions, women will be forced to resort to other dangerous ways of terminating their pregnancies.

Morgan McChurch [None]

CON

This amendment is repugnant and is just trying to control people with a uterus farther. All people with a uterus have the right to do with their bodies as they will this includes not hosting a fetus if they choose not to.Anyone who feels this is a valid use of paper needs to also be okay with forced sterilization of people with penises after 3 children or age 45.Think that is criminally insane? That's the same thing as telling the owner of a uterus what to do with their body. Abortion is healthcare. If you don't want one, don't get one! You don't get to write this horrible idea into a state constitution either.

G Michael Bayer [Citizen]

PRO

The Iowa Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion or the public funding of abortion. It is a an afront to Iowans to twist the meaning of the Iowa Constitution as the Iowa Supreme Court did in their decision. The only remedy left to the people of Iowa is to amend the Constitution so that it explicitly states what the Iowa Supreme Court justices could clearly not see that the Iowa Supreme Court does not guarantee the right to abortion or that Iowa taxpayers must fund abortion!

Jacqueline Novak [St. Thomas Aquinas]

PRO

It is essential that our state protects all life!

Kate Allen []

PRO

No state constitution should deny the humanity, dignity, and rights of any group, and no Iowan should be forced to pay for one person's choice to deprive another of her fundamental right to life. I support this amendment!

Anonymous []

CON

I oppose this bill. I am not pro abortion but believe every woman has the right to make this decision for herself.

Elizabeth []

CON

This is a plunge into the dark ages of women's medical care. We already have the lowest mothers surviving childbirth rate in the developed world, and this will only drive it lower. Shame on you.

Blake Rozendaal [n/a]

CON

Adopting this amendment to the Constitution is a direct assault on a woman's right to make her own medical decisions. More effective ways to reduce abortion include better sexual education in schools, expanded access to birth control, and more access to family planning services. The Iowa Constitution should codify freedoms and rights, not restrictions and government overreach. Vote against this amendment.

Anonymous [Private Citizen]

CON

I oppose HJR 2004.

Janice Swanson []

PRO

I do not love in Iowa but I was born in Cedar Rapids and lived in Bettendorf. I humbly ask thatYou vote for HJR2004 and make Iowa an even better pace to live! Spend the money on vulnerable women and children, not on abortion. Thank you!

Anonymous []

PRO

Im in support of this. We need to restore the check and balance between the legislative, judicial and executive branches.

Anonymous []

PRO

As an Iowa resident, I wholeheartedly support this bill. What is growing in the womb of a pregnant woman but a human child? It's not just any zygote, it is a human zygote. It's not just tissue belonging to the mother. Every human has tissue, and we received that from our mothers. Being nonviable outside the womb is not an obstacle to being human. All of us depend on others in order to survive. Being smaller or less capable does not negate one's humanity. May this bill pass. I pray it does.

Anonymous []

CON

Abortion should be legal, but only during the first trimester unless there are major issues with the pregnancy.Most people that choose to undergo the procedure do so with a heavy heart and do not do so flipantly.In the case of consensual sex: contraception doesn't always work. If the couple became pregnant and were unable to care for the child due to their own circumstances. I don't think it is ethical to force the woman to have a child she know she can't support, incur that medical debt, and have to make the difficult choice of keeping the baby in a potentially difficult situation, or giving the baby to an unknown person(s).

Anonymous [Myself]

CON

Abortion isn't even mentioned in the state of Iowa constitution, so there is nothing prohibiting it either. It is cruel to force a mother to bring a child to term if they do not have the means or mental faculty to take care of the baby, and it is equally cruel to bring a child into a world that will not or can not take care of it.