Iowa

Iowa Republican shelves bill to criminalize death of an “unborn person” because of IVF concerns

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Iowa Republican shelves bill to criminalize death of an “unborn person” because of IVF concerns

DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill that would have criminalized the death of an “unborn person” has been shelved in Iowa after a Senate Republican joined Democrats in voicing concerns about the potential impact on in vitro fertilization after an Alabama court found frozen embryos can be considered children.

The Senate declined to consider the bill, which was approved by the House last week. It would have amended the language to pertain to “causing of death of, or serious injury to, an unborn person,” defined as “an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization to live birth.”

Iowa’s law currently outlines penalties for termination or serious injury to a “human pregnancy.”

Republican Sen. Brad Zaun, who leads the Senate judiciary committee, did not assign the bill to a subcommittee because he was concerned about the “unintended consequences” for IVF, he told reporters.

Before voting on the House floor, Democrats raised the Alabama case, warning that the proposed language would pose a risk to the procedure that helps some women become pregnant.

Iowa Republican Rep. Skyler Wheeler said the bill was much simpler than Democrats were suggesting, and that they were “trying to turn this into a conversation that it is not.”

After the Senate rejected the bill, the chair of the House judiciary committee, Rep. Steven Holt, said they did not believe IVF was at risk because of differences in Iowa and Alabama’s constitutions. Still, Holt said, he understood the concerns and said it’s “certainly a discussion we’ve got to have before we would move it on” in the future.

The majority ruling of Alabama’s Supreme Court treated an embryo the same as a child or gestating fetus under the state’s wrongful death law, explicitly stating “unborn children are ‘children.’” That led three major providers of IVF in Alabama to pause services because of concerns about liabilities.

The bill in Iowa was one of many being considered by state Legislatures around the country that would expand legal and constitutional protections for embryos and fetuses, a long-time goal of the anti-abortion movement.

Democratic Rep. Jennifer Konfrst criticized House Republicans for the initial denial that IVF was at stake, which Democrats had warned before it passed.

“They got caught running a bill that did more than they said. They mocked us when we said it did that. And then other Republicans pulled the bill because it did just what we said,” Konfrst told reporters Thursday. “That is politics at its worst.”

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Iowa

VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit

Published

2 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa on Tuesday, expected to speak at a manufacturing facility. Tuesday’s visit will mark the first since taking office last January.

Vance is making the trip to campaign on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, who will be facing off in a competitive race to keep his seat in the Des Moines area in the November midterm elections. He is accompanied by his son Vivek on the trip, making a stop in Cincinnati to vote in Ohio, where he previously served as Senator, and then made an appearance in Oklahoma City to hold a fundraiser as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Vance’s visit to Iowa was originally slated for last week, but the timing was changed because the House moved to pass a farm bill that Nunn was due to vote on.

He also had been prepared to appear last week at an Iowa State University event with Turning Point USA. However, the organization said it was not able to reschedule the event with the university until the fall.

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Vance’s visit to Iowa also offers him the chance to test his reception before Iowa voters, who make up a crucial voter bloc for the next presidential election.

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Iowa

Iowa’s Senate Democratic primary is getting messy

Published

14 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Iowa’s Senate Democratic primary is getting messy

Democrats are banking on a high-stakes, long-shot win in Iowa.

The Hawkeye State voted for President Donald Trump by 13 points in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. Still, Democrats are optimistic that a perfect storm of soaring gas and healthcare costs, tariffs and an unpopular president could help them flip the Senate seat blue.

But Democrats first must get through a contentious June 2 primary between state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek before they can even turn their attention to the presumptive GOP nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa).

The clash is a microcosm of the establishment moderate-versus-progressive insurgent battle raging within the Democratic Party, an ideological tussle that could cost them in November.

Wahls, a more left-wing candidate backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has made opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a major part of his message.

“When I’m doing my stump speech and tell people that on the first day of this campaign, I made a promise not to support Chuck Schumer for leader, the room — without any explanation — just spontaneously bursts into applause,” Wahls said in an interview.

Turek, who flipped a GOP-held Iowa Senate seat blue in 2022 and is the favored pick of Schumer’s allies, says Wahls is focused on the wrong issues.

“Wahls is out here running against Schumer. I’m out here running against Donald Trump and Ashley Hinson,” Turek declared. “In the thousands of doors that I’ve knocked, I’ve never heard a single Iowan talk to me about minority leadership.”

Wahls and Turek face off in the first head-to-head primary debate tonight. Warren is stumping for Wahls in Des Moines on May 10.

Some ad news. Outside groups are taking notice — and spending big. VoteVets is dropping another $800,000 on a pro-Turek ad buy starting Tuesday. The group, dedicated to electing Democrats with military service, has spent $6.7 million boosting Turek to date. In the new spot, a retired Army National Guard colonel says Turek will root out corruption and oppose Trump.

We’ll note Turek isn’t a veteran. But Turek’s father served in Vietnam, and his exposure to Agent Orange while serving contributed to Turek’s being born with spina bifida.

VoteVets first started spending for Turek on March 24.

Electability squabbles. In conversations with the Iowa Democratic hopefuls, both candidates insist they’re the only person who can beat Hinson in the fall.

“Zach comes from the bluest district in the state, a [Kamala] Harris +38 district. He’s never even run against a Republican,” Turek said. “This isn’t the time to be experimenting.”

Wahls countered that his record of opposing Democratic leadership will resonate with disaffected voters of all stripes.

“It is easier to draw that contrast [with Hinson] if you can tell people that you don’t owe Chuck Schumer a damn thing and that you don’t care about party bosses in either party,” Wahls said. “We can draw that contrast much, much more effectively than Josh can.”

Turek said he didn’t know if he would vote for Schumer as leader if elected.

“I need to get up there. I’m not measuring the drapes first,” Turek said.

State of play. Despite Iowa’s recent red tilt, Turek and Wahls argue that because the state’s farm industry has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs and higher gas prices, the president is no longer popular among Iowans.

Democrats are also optimistic that gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand will provide a lift to the rest of the ticket. Sand, the state auditor, is running a well-received campaign and is polling competitively with the GOP frontrunner, Rep. Randy Feenstra.

Iowa is a reach state for Democrats and exists outside of the core Senate map for the party. But in a blue wave environment where control of the chamber is in play, Democratic wins in states like Iowa could help push the party to the 51 seats needed to win a majority.

GOP view. Hinson has boosted Wahls by labeling him the “soon-to-be Democrat nominee” in social media posts. It’s a sign that some Iowa Republicans view Wahls as the more preferable general election candidate.

“With momentum building behind Wahls, time will tell if Schumer can carry his candidate across the finish line,” NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell said in a statement.

Republicans are gleeful at the spate of competitive primaries dividing Democrats in key states. After the Maine primary where progressives came out on top, there are also Schumer-skeptical liberals running in Minnesota and Michigan.

Opposing Schumer may appeal to some Democratic primary voters, but the sentiment doesn’t directly impact his standing as leader. As long as Senate Democrats win the races they need to win in November, the New York Democrat is unlikely to be challenged for his job.

Happening today. Voters in Ohio and Indiana head to the ballot box for primary day.

Republicans will decide their candidate to face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Derek Merrin is the favorite against state Rep. Josh Williams and former ICE official Madison Sheahan. This is a rightward-shifting district.

Air Force veteran Eric Conroy is favored to take on Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman.

Indiana. There aren’t any steeply competitive primaries in any battleground seats in Indiana. The one to watch is Indiana’s 1st District, where Republicans have an outside chance to knock off Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Republicans are excited by Barb Regnitz.

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