Second verse same as the first.
Or is it the third or fourth verse at this point?
Regardless, Republican Representatives David Maxwell, Lee Hein and Jane Bloomingdale voted against the abortion neutrality amendment once again on Tuesday night. All three voted against the House’s original language earlier in the session.
In reality, the bill does not outlaw one single abortion from taking place in Iowa. It really isn’t about abortion so much as it is the separation of powers. A few years ago, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled there is a fundamental constitutional right to an abortion in the state of Iowa.
The Supreme Court does not have the authority to amend the Iowa Constitution, however, and most Iowa Republicans in the legislature are attempting to allow Iowans to be heard on this issue when it comes to the state’s constitution.
But not Hein, Maxwell or Bloomingdale.
Even if Hein, Maxwell and Bloomingdale are not pro-life, why do they oppose allowing Iowans to be given a voice when it comes to their own constitution? Why do they, as legislators, agree that the court should be able to amend the constitution?
Hein, who House leadership continues to appoint as chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, voted against forms of this amendment not once, but twice. He voted against the Heartbeat Bill.
Hein continues to receive support from the Republican Party of Iowa. According to Follow the Money, Hein has been given $148,061 from the Republican Party of Iowa. Most, if not all, of that money likely comes from the House Majority Fund, which we’ll write about again here in the near future.
Hein also received $10,000 from the Hawkeye PAC, which is a PAC affiliated with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose grandson Pat Grassley is Speaker of the Iowa House. The Hawkeye PAC has given Hein $18,000 in total.
Bloomingdale, who has now voted against the abortion neutrality amendment twice, also voted against the Heartbeat Bill. She did not vote on Senate File 471 in 2017, which prohibited abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
According to Follow the Money, Bloomingdale has received $83,075 from the Republican Party of Iowa. Bloomingdale also received $5,000 from The Hawkeye PAC in 2020. She’s been given $12,000 from The Hawkeye PAC overall.
Follow the Money reveals that Maxwell has received $300,315 from the Republican Party of Iowa.
He also received $3,000 from The Hawkeye PAC in 2020 and has been given $5,730 from The Hawkeye PAC all-time.
