(Radio Iowa) – A federal appeals court ruling now bars Americans from getting abortion pills through the mail — and a bill that passed the Iowa legislature this weekend requires a licensed physical to administer abortion pills in person in a licensed health care facility. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says some of the companies marketing pills through the mail are targeting “red states” like Iowa where most abortions are illegal.
“Louisiana, in this case with the lawsuit. Iowa, where we’re standing. They’re aiming at my daughters, my wife. They’re aiming at my family,” Schultz said. “This is who we’re dealing with.” Representative Jon Dunwell, a Republican from Newton, says the bill will ensure Iowa’s six-week abortion ban is enforced. “Every day that out of state mail order operations dispense abortion drugs to Iowans with no exam, no doctor and no oversight, the ‘heartbeat law’ this chamber passed is being eroded,” Dunwell said.
Representative Megan Srinivas, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the bill will prohibit tele-health appointments which give rural women access abortion pills.”This bill doesn’t do anything to address the problem of black market abortions because those are already illegal,” Srinivas said. “All this bill does is take away options from people in rural Iowa who have no other ability to get care.”
Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, says the bill layers on regulations that are not necessary. “We may disagree about why a woman would have an abortion, but we should agree on this: politicians in this chamber should not be making deeply personal decisions for Iowans,” she said. Representative Devon Wood, a Republican from New Market, says the bill is about making sure there is informed consent before a woman is given abortion pills.”These conversations are standard practice for any procedure, medication or treatment plan,” Wood said. “It is not difficult. It is not onerous. It is what every patient deserves.”
The bill passed the House Friday night and it was the next-to-last bill to pass the Senate on Sunday evening.
