State Rep. Lee Hein continues to try to convince his constituents that he is a pro-life Republican. But he keeps running into one big obstacle — his own voting record.
Hein voted against the Heartbeat Bill, which prohibited unborn babies from being killed in Iowa once their heartbeat was detectable.
Worse than that, he voted against giving Iowans a say in their own constitution on the issue of abortion. Hein was one of a few Republicans who voted against the Protect Life Amendment.
The proposed amendment will need to pass a vote of Iowans in order to become a part of the Iowa Constitution. And Hein voted against Iowans having that chance to have a say in their own constitution.
No, Hein knows better on the issue of life than the Iowans he represents. He doesn’t want those thousands of Iowans to have a say in their own constitution, instead he wants to maintain a fundamental, constitutional right to abortion in Iowa.
That is what his vote against the Protect Life Amendment means for pro-life Iowans.
The amendment simply states that there is no constitutional right to an abortion or public funding of abortion in the Iowa Constitution.
That’s it. Clear, cut and dry.
Here is the sad part. The amendment could have passed its first general assembly in 2020 and been on the ballot this November had Hein and a few other Republicans like Dave Maxwell and Jane Bloomingdale not sided with Planned Parenthood and Democrats to block it.
Now, if Roe v. Wade is indeed overturned by the Supreme Court, Iowa will not be able to enact any pro-life legislation protecting unborn babies until 2025 at the earliest — more than likely.
It is estimated 4,000 babies are aborted every year in Iowa. That means 10,000 babies will be aborted because of House Republican inaction in 2020.
And Hein was front and center of it all.
Perhaps the worst part of Hein’s vote against the Protect Life Amendment is it isn’t just a vote for abortion, it is a vote for silencing Iowans. It is a vote to keep Iowans from having any input on the issue of abortion at all. It is a vote to keep Iowans from having a say on their own state constitution.
But Hein is playing the victim card on the campaign trail, claiming that his “pro-life” record is being distorted.
He blamed a “special interest group” in Des Moines with “deep pockets” for distorting his record. It is apparently the fault of this “special interest group” that Hein voted against the Protect Life Amendment.
“I am very proud of my pro-life voting record,” Hein said.
Hein said he was taking “numerous votes” to defund Planned Parenthood and eliminate taxpayer funds used for abortions. He said he voted to prohibit tele-med abortions. He said he voted there would be no abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. He voted for 24-hour and 72-hour waiting periods before babies could be aborted in Iowa.
“So, again and again, I have come down on the side of life,” Hein said.
Then he said for personal and family reasons, he refused to support the Heartbeat Bill and the Protect Life Amendment.
Hein shared the story that his daughter and her husband were told their unborn baby would not survive birth. After multiple tests, Hein said the “news was not good.”
“So, like I said, I have been very honest and open with my constituents as to why I voted against those pieces of legislation,” he said.
Hein said most issues are not “black and white” for every person.
“I’m not beholden to special interest groups, to lobbyists, or even primary opponents,” Hein said. “And that’s why they’ve set their sights on me. So, I have 100 percent of the time support and worked on behalf of the constituents in Jones and Jackson County and will continue to do that.
“So while I have had your backs…I humbly ask you to have my back and support me in the June 7th primary. I will not let you down,” Hein finished.
Yeah, and the 4,000 unborn babies aborted every year in Iowa likely wish they could ask Hein to have their backs, but they can’t, because they’re being aborted.
And he’s already let them down. Thousands of them.
Not to mention the number of pro-life Iowans who desire to have a say in their own state constitution. Hein has let them down as well. He’s failed to have their backs.
He has instead taken the elitist position that he knows best when it comes to whether or not unborn babies in Iowa should continue to be allowed to be legally killed before they are born.
Hein may have had a track record of pro-life votes. Most of those votes he champions though were on pieces of legislation that essentially ended with “and then you can kill the baby.”
We all know politics is more of a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” world.
And lately Hein has sided with Planned Parenthood, Democrats and pro-abortion Iowans — not pro-life Iowans.
It isn’t a well-kept secret that politicians will lie to get elected. But lying about an issue like abortion is a pretty significant low.
