Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right to reproductive care

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the right to reproductive care specifying: 1. The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom and an individual’s most private decisions concerning reproductive freedom shall not be infringed. Reproductive freedom includes but is not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care. 2. An individual’s right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, burdened, or infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the state may regulate the provision of abortion care after fetal viability, provided that under no circumstance shall the state prohibit an abortion that, in the professional judgment of an attending health care professional, is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual. “Fetal viability” is defined as the point in pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of an attending health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case, there is a significant likelihood of sustained survival of the fetus outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures. The joint resolution, if adopted, would be published and then referred to the next general assembly (91st) for adoption, before being submitted to the electorate for ratification.