Scheetz: Abortion ban an assault on women’s rights

In a guest post, Rep. Sami Scheetz writes about how the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling to end an injunction that kept Iowa Republicans’ abortion ban at bay is a blow to women’s bodily autonomy.

In just a few short weeks, my wife and I will welcome a baby girl into our family. It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s also terrifying: as a father, I’m faced with the prospect that I’ll raise a daughter in a state where she has less freedom than her grandmother enjoyed. Yet that’s exactly what an extreme, partisan majority on Iowa’s Supreme Court decided last week. Four unelected judges substituted their will for the will of the people of Iowa to let Gov. Reynolds’ and the Republican legislature’s near-total abortion ban take effect.

Like so many Iowans, I’m heartbroken, upset, and angry over Friday’s decision. I’ve heard from constituents who are wondering whether Iowa is the best place to raise their families–especially in light of Attorney General Brenna Bird’s appearance with extremists who vow to ban IVF treatments and contraception next, and her promise that there is “more to be done” on this issue.

This near-total Republican abortion ban is an assault on women’s autonomy and their right to make personal healthcare decisions. Many women do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks, making this ban effectively a total prohibition on abortion. This law forces women and girls to carry pregnancies to term against their will, regardless of their circumstances or the potential risks to their health and well-being. As Chief Justice Susan Christensen noted in her dissenting opinion, the limited exceptions included in the law are insufficient and do not address the real-world challenges that many women face.

The right to make decisions about our lives are fundamental to who we are. The government shouldn’t be involved in our most private medical moments–when we’re faced with gut-wrenching decisions about life and death–yet that is exactly what this extreme law allows. This is about more than just abortion: this decision applies a new standard to government regulation of our personal bodily autonomy. If the government decides we do not have the right to IVF treatments for fertility, they must now only show that there is a “rational basis” for doing so. That’s a ridiculously low bar for a government whose flag is emblazoned with the words, “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.”

Iowa Republicans chose to have a special session last year to pass one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. The Iowa Supreme Court chose on Friday to oppose freedom and liberty for all Iowans. Now, Iowans have a choice to make in November: do we want a government that respects individual rights, or one that forces the views of the minority on the majority of our fellow citizens? I believe Iowans will stand up for our freedoms and vote for choice. Our future depends on it.

Sami Scheetz is a Democratic state representative from Cedar Rapids. You may reach him at [email protected].