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It looks like a controversial fetal homicide bill that defines personhood as starting at conception will not advance in the Iowa legislature this session. This means the proposal won’t remain eligible at the statehouse this year.
The bill would further increase criminal penalties for a person who “causes the death of an unborn person” without consent from the mother. Opponents say the proposal could lead to outlawing abortion and could affect birth control and in vitro fertilization.
The governors of Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri are assessing flood damage and possible repairs today in Council Bluffs. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, and Missouri Governor Mike Parson plan to hold a news conference at five this afternoon
They will provide an update on flood damage, a look ahead on the Missouri River outflow, and identify regional solutions for flooding and levee repairs from FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Daryl Hecht, who resigned from the court in December because of his fight with skin cancer, died early Wednesday.
Hecht, 66, of Sloan, Iowa, served on the court from 2006 until he stepped down, saying that after discussions with his family, he needed to focus his energy on battling the disease. He had heard oral arguments in Des Moines last fall while receiving treatment for melanoma in Sioux City and at the Mayo Clinic.
Colleagues said they would remember Hecht as a kind, thoughtful jurist with a passion for the law and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.