Last week’s action at the Capitol
SF 175 was approved in the Senate on a 31-13 vote with the support of the Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC). The bill requires schools to show students a video on fetal development. We think the proposal will ensure that students can see how the miracle of life develops in the womb. The bill now goes to the House, where a similar bill, HF 391, has already been approved by the House Education Committee.
The “human smuggling" bill, HSB 15, passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 13-4 vote on Thursday. The ICC holds that the bill is unnecessary. It is already against federal and state law to traffic in humans. Secondly, there is concern that the bill could be interpreted by overzealous officials to criminalize providing basic charity to immigrants. An amendment was added to the bill but the content will not be known publicly until the updated bill is published.
The ICC also registered in opposition to HSB 187, which passed out of subcommittee on Thursday. The bill requires local law enforcement agencies to sign agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It effectively turns local officials into ICE agents. Typically the ICC opposes bills that charge our local police with enforcing federal immigration law. Some law enforcement personnel report that it harms community relations, which is the best tool to prevent and report criminal activity. The proposal is eligible for consideration by the Judiciary Committee this week.
HSB 139, the “Med Act” bill providing conscience protections for medical professionals, and the bill providing credits off probation time for education and work, HSB 140, have both passed the House Judiciary Committee. The ICC supports both bills.
The governor’s preschool and child care bill, HSB 145, passed a subcommittee. It would allow community providers such as Catholic preschools to apply directly to the state Department of Education for funding. The proposal includes a grant program for partnerships between childcare programs and preschools. It also requires the Department of Education to work with Health and Human Services on an accountability system for preschool programs. The ICC supports the bill.
New bill introductions:
SF 320 would bring back the death penalty in Iowa for the murder of a peace officer on duty. The ICC has registered in opposition. No subcommittee hearing has been scheduled yet.
HSB 186 was introduced last week. It would require abortion providers to inform women about the possibility of reversing the effects of abortion medication and require the pills to be provided in person at a clinic, medical office, or hospital. Currently the medication is easily available online with no medical supervision. A subcommittee meeting is set for tomorrow (Tuesday). The ICC supports the bill.
Bishops sue Administration over refugee funds
On Feb. 18, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) challenged the government’s unlawful suspension of funding for its refugee admissions program. For decades, the USCCB has partnered with the U.S. government and locally based Catholic partners, such as Catholic Charities in Des Moines, to help nearly a million individuals find safety and build their lives in the United States.
IVF destroys human life; bishops urge ethical alternatives
“As pastors, we see the suffering of so many couples experiencing infertility and know their deep desire to have children is both good and admirable; yet the Administration’s push for IVF, which ends countless human lives and treats persons like property, cannot be the answer,” reflected Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Robert E. Barron, chairman of the Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for policies to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) less costly and more available.
“The IVF industry treats human beings like products and freezes or kills millions of children who are not selected for transfer to a womb or do not survive. Tuesday’s executive order promoting IVF is thus fatally flawed and stands in regrettable contrast to the promising pro-life actions of the Administration last month.
“Every human person is a precious gift with infinite dignity and worth, no matter how that person was conceived. People born as a result of IVF have no less dignity than anyone else. It is our moral responsibility to uphold the dignity of their brothers and sisters who are never given the chance to be born.”