Iowa Republican shelves bill to criminalize death of an "unborn person" because of IVF concerns
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 for in vitro fertilization after an Alabama court found frozen embryos can be considered children
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — 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.
