Senate File 2281, commonly referred to as the “Fetal Heartbeat Bill,” did not make it through the most recent funnel at the Iowa Legislature, but it’s not dead yet after being attached to a different bill.

Senate File 359, which deals with prohibiting the sale of fetal tissue and body parts, recently made it out of the committee phase and will now be discussed on the floor of the Iowa House of Representatives. However, with the knowledge the heartbeat bill wasn’t going to survive the funnel, the committee working on the fetal tissue bill decided to add an amendment banning abortions after a heartbeat is found.

State Senator Jake Chapman (R-District 10), who has for several years attempted to define life at conception, championed both bills in the Senate. He said he was pleased with the House committee’s decision to combine the two in order to save the fetal heartbeat bill. “That bill is very much alive, and is now eligible for floor debate. If it were to pass the House, because it’s been amended, it will come back to the Senate for one more debate, then it would be down to the governor’s desk. So I’m very optimistic that that may very well happen.”

Opponents to the fetal heartbeat bill felt it was underhanded to add it to a bill passed out of the Senate with bipartisan support, especially with the knowledge it wouldn’t have made it through the funnel on its own. The bill would criminalize performing abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is typically at around six weeks after conception. To learn more about the current Iowa legislative session, listen to Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.