DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa legislature worked overnight Sunday morning to pass a 24-hour waiting period for women to get an abortion.
The House added the abortion component to a bill that limits a court's ability to take a child off life support without the consent of the mother.
It then passed the amended bill 53-42 late Saturday night. The Senate worked through the night, passing the bill 31-16 at roughly 4:30 am. The votes were split almost entirely on party lines, with House Democrats expressing outrage at the timing of the last minute legislation.
“They’ve kept this plan secret for weeks and released it on a Saturday night so they didn’t have to hear from Iowans," said House Democratic Whip Jo Oldson of Des Moines. "It’s time for Iowa Republican lawmakers to be more transparent and stop the relentless attacks on the rights of Iowa women.”
The amendment states, "A physician performing an abortion shall obtain written certification from the pregnant woman of all of the following at least twenty-four hours prior to performing an abortion." It also calls for the woman to be allowed to see an ultrasound of the fetus.
The bill now heads to Governor Kim Reynolds for her signature.
Republicans in the House had failed to pass a constitutional amendment that the Senate approved earlier in the session this year. The amendment would nullify an Iowa Supreme Court decision striking down a 72-hour waiting period for abortions in 2018. The court had also court found a fundamental right to abortion in the Iowa Constitution.