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There’s a story that has been circulating on social media among conservatives for the last week or so. You can read it here. The headline is:

Virginia Governor Who Supported Infanticide Signs Bill to Make Animal Cruelty a Felony

So what about Iowa House Republicans?

On March 28 the Iowa House voted 96-0 to pass House File 737. It’s a bill that addresses criminal offenses and court orders associated with animal mistreatment. The bill increases criminal penalties for animal mistreatment offenses, with the highest penalty raised to a class C felony.

Just last week, the Iowa House killed Senate File 523. That bill addressed the nonconsensual cause of death of and serious injury to an unborn person. In this legislation, a person who by force or intimidation procures the consent of the pregnant person to cause the death of an unborn person is guilty of a class C felony.

Mistreat of an animal…class C felony…unanimous.

Cause the death of an unborn person…well, forget unanimous…the Republican House couldn’t even produce a majority.

All because the words used were “unborn person” rather than “human pregnancy.”

It’s unbelievable.

The Senate version of the bill had bipartisan support when it addressed the nonconsensual termination of a human pregnancy. But when the language was changed to causing the death of an unborn person, that crossed the line for Democrats.

And, sadly, for enough House Republicans, that scientific fact killed the bill.

During the Senate Judiciary committee meeting on Thursday afternoon, Sen. Jake Chapman expressed frustration about the situation.

“A person who terminates a human pregnancy without the consent of the pregnant person during the commission of a felony or felonious assault (would be) guilty of a class C felony,” Chapman said. “We are going to have the exact same penalty under this bill (HF 737) for someone who potentially could kill a baby at eight-and-a-half months in the womb as someone who has committed torture twice on an animal. I don’t think that is reflective of Iowa’s societal values.”

Author: Jacob Hall

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