Fred Hubbell Statement On Legislative Passage Of So-Called “Fetal Heartbeat” Bill
Following the middle-of-the-night legislative passage of SF359, the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country, Fred Hubbell, Democratic candidate for governor and former Chair of Planned Parenthood of Mid-Iowa, released the following statement:
“This legislation is unconstitutional, unconscionable, and an extremely dangerous move from Republicans leading this state to infringe upon the rights of Iowa women,” said Fred Hubbell. “Iowa may lose already precious doctors, our state's OB-GYN residency programs could lose accreditation, and women will have their access to quality health care greatly reduced. Not to mention, this harmful and regressive piece of legislation will be challenged in the courts and cost taxpayers a massive amount of money. As governor, I would work to reverse this legislation and restore funding to Planned Parenthood, ensuring every Iowa woman gets the access to quality care they deserve.”
###
he following statement can be attributed to Mark Stringer, ACLU of Iowa Executive Director. An ACLU of Iowa logo and photo of Mark Stringer is also attached.
“We are outraged that the Iowa Legislature has forced through what is essentially a complete abortion ban for most women, which would be the most restrictive abortion law in the country. It bans abortions for women where any fetal cardiac activity is detected, which is so early in the pregnancy that many women don’t even know that they are pregnant.
It’s clear that the goal of this legislation is to overturn Roe v. Wade, ultimately banning all abortions. It would take Iowa women back nearly a half century to a dark era, a time where desperate women sought out or performed home abortions and died as a result. Along with our partner organizations, the ACLU of Iowa will stand with Iowa women to protect their fundamental right to control their bodies and their lives.
It’s especially disturbing that the passage of this bill comes at a time when Iowa legislators have also led a devastating assault on access to family planning and contraception, especially for poor and rural women. They are imposing their own strict religious and moral codes on the entire state, with tragic results.
We urge Gov. Reynolds to veto Senate File 359.”
