The Iowa Standard’s Eye on Iowa podcast covered the side of National Right to Life that isn’t as publicly known as it should be a couple of weeks ago. You can hear Rebecca Kiessling discuss the problems with National Right to Life here.
During Tuesday’s Fourth Congressional District debate, each candidate was able to ask another candidate a question. Congressman Steve King directed his question to Sen. Randy Feenstra.
“I’d ask Randy, and that is, you’ve heard what I’ve just said about the Heartbeat bill, Randy. And I would ask you, are your willing to come out in favor of the Heartbeat bill? I know you voted for it as kind of the herd of Republicans all voted for it in the Senate, and I’m very glad that all happened. But the National Righ to Life has actively undercut the Heartbeat bill and blocked it in the United States Congress. You’ve got the support of those folks that were standing in the way of defending a million unborn babies a year. Will you endorse the Heartbeat bill and will you renounce their position on it?” King asked.
Feenstra started his answer by saying he cosponsored and passed the Heartbeat bill in the Iowa Senate. He went on to talk about defunding Planned Parenthood.
“I didn’t ask those questions,” King said.
“Congressman King, I went a step further. I wrote a bill that defined life at conception with no exceptions,” Feenstra said.
“I’m the author of that in Congress too, but will you renounce National Right to Life and will you endorse the Heartbeat bill in Congress because they’re pushing hard,” King replied.
Feenstra never answered the question.
“But I didn’t hear you answer my question. Do you agree or disagree with the opposition to the Heartbeat bill that National Right to Life has brought forward? I’ve fought them for two years. I know who they are, a lot of the public knows who they are, Randy. And if they’re the only organization that’s supported you, then they want you to help block the Heartbeat bill and they want me out of the way because they don’t want to solve this problem. They have to be out of the way if we’re going to end abortion in America. That’s why I asked Randy the question and that’s why he won’t answer it.”
King asked once more if Feenstra will oppose National Right to Life’s effort to block the Heartbeat bill.
“Will you come out and say they’re wrong? They were public with this and they were given a veto power by the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives if the National Right to Life didn’t support a Heartbeat bill, it didn’t move. One-hundred-seventy-four cosponsors, 218 votes to pass it in the House of Representatives, National Right to Life was handed a veto card and they vetoed it and blocked it in the last two weeks of the 115th Congress and that’s a big deal.
“That’s a million lives a year, and they’re supporting you. And you won’t come out and say they were wrong.”
Feenstra again refused to answer the question.
You can watch the full exchange here:
