Bill shelved that sought changes to Iowa law outlining penalties for terminating a pregnancy

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would have made changes to Iowa’s fetal homicide law has been shelved 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.

Iowa’s law currently outlines penalties for terminating or seriously injuring a “human pregnancy.” The bill would have changed that language to be about the death of, or serious injury to, an “unborn person” from fertilization to live birth.

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.

In explaining the bill before the vote, Iowa Republican Rep. Skyler Wheeler said it “simply changes the words” of the law. But Democrats raised a recent Alabama case, warning that the proposed language would apply to embryos and therefore pose a risk to the procedure that helps some women become pregnant.

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.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> March Madness upsets are sure to come. Some teams to be wary of as you fill out your bracket