DES MOINES, Iowa - A public hearing is being held at the Iowa state capitol Tuesday evening over a proposed abortion amendment.
The proposed constitutional amendment, which has passed the state Senate, says there's no fundamental right in the Iowa Constitution to abortion or public funding of the procedure.
The Senate proposal was approved on party lines, 32-18, with every Democrat voting against it. A House committee passed an identical proposal earlier this month, also along party lines 11-9.
The public hearing comes before the full House considers the amendment, and is taking place at the request of House Democrats. The hearing starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The amendment would overturn a 2018 state Supreme Court decision. That ruling struck down the legislature's 72-hour waiting period for abortions and declared the state constitution guarantees the right to the procedure.
The amendment still has a long road to be ratified. Constitutional amendments must be approved by the legislature for two consecutive years, and then be voted on in a statewide election.
If the amendment is enacted, lawmakers could then pass laws to limit abortions further. Iowa law currently prohibits most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.