Iowa Republicans abandon 'fetal heartbeat' abortion bill

Iowa House Republicans have abandoned a bill that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

The fetal heartbeat bill was introduced on Tuesday as an amendment to a separate legislation that would ban abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy, The Des Moines Register reported.

Fearing that the amendment would face legal challenges in court, House Republican lawmakers announced on Wednesday that they have removed the fetal heartbeat provision.

"We've been working over the course of the last few hours to get consensus within our caucus on an agreement that we can all move forward," said House Human Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Joel Fry (R-Osceola). "And this is the piece of legislation that we have consensus on," he added.

Democrats have threatened an all-night filibuster to delay an initial procedural vote when the amendment was introduced on Tuesday. The legislation would have been the strictest ban on abortion in the U.S. if it had been signed into law. North Dakota and Arkansas have tried to pass similar laws but were blocked by the courts.

Rep. Rob Taylor (R-West Des Moines) said that "a number" of House Republicans had reservations about the language in the provision after it was introduced.

"I think anytime we have language that is realistic and doesn't end up in court, I think that's the opportunity to save more lives," he said.

"To run something through here just to end up in court isn't necessarily the option that I would prefer, but I think that's a discussion that we'll have," he continued.

The bill banning abortions after 20 weeks is similar to a legislation passed by the Iowa Senate. However, the measure currently being considered by the House does not include a provision to penalize physicians who perform illegal abortions, although they could have their license revoked by the Iowa Board of Medicine.

The 20-week ban carries an exception in cases when the mother's life is in jeopardy, but there are no exemptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities.

Rep. Shannon Lundgren (R-Peosta) expressed her belief that the 20-week ban would still be a victory for the pro-life movement.

The bill, known as Senate File 471, will be eligible for debate on the House floor if it is passed by the House Human Resources Committee.