Bills › 88th General Assembly
Relating to the definition of person from the moment of conception until natural death under the criminal code
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 13, 2019
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 13, 2019
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2020 session adjourned on June 14, 2020, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
This bill defines “person” for the purposes of the criminal code to be an individual living human being without regard to age of development from the moment of conception, when a zygote is formed, until natural death. Each such person is accorded the same rights and protections guaranteed to all persons by the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and the laws of this state. The bill provides some exemptions to the interpretation and application of crimes against a person based on the definition.
Read the full explanation
The bill provides that elements of a crime against a person shall not be interpreted to preclude the use of medications or procedures necessary to relieve a person’s pain or discomfort if the use of the medications or procedures is not intentionally or knowingly prescribed or administered to cause the death of a person. Additionally, the following acts do not constitute a crime against a person: 1. 2. 3. 4. Contraception administered before a clinically diagnosable pregnancy. Finally, under the bill, a crime against a person who has not yet been born shall only be charged against the principal actor of the criminal conduct. The bill defines “principal actor” for the purposes of the bill. The bill also provides that the provisions of the bill are not to be interpreted as a basis for inuring to or vesting in a child before the time of live birth or in the biological parents of a child before the time of live birth a pecuniary interest or citizenship status.
Senate subcommittee
Named February 13, 2019. On February 21, 2019 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part