Is perfect the enemy of good? Abortion in Iowa

[Dale_M]

Iowa law allows abortion up to 27 weeks of gestation. A bill is currently being considered which would restrict it to 20 weeks, but it is running into opposition from legislators who want a total ban.

Iowa’s four Catholic bishops are at the statehouse today, urging legislators to pass a bill that would ban nearly all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Some key lawmakers are opposing the bill because it doesn’t ban all abortions, and their opposition dooms the bill. Sioux City Bishop R. Walker Nickless says that’s unfortunate.

“The goal is to end abortion, absolutely, but this is one step along the way,” Nickless says. “And I just feel sorry for people who just feel that it’s just got to be all or nothing and then they miss the opportunity to do a little bit. Think of the abortions that are happening because they won’t take that one step, where we could eliminate some of those.”

radioiowa.com/2011/02/09/iowas-catholic-bishops-urge-legislators-to-pass-late-term-abortion-ban/

Some further explanation:

Now about those prolifers who don’t like this bill. Who? These groups? (Americans United for Life, Operation Rescue, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Right to Life Committee, Iowans for Life, the Iowa Catholic Conference, Dubuque County Right To Life, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, and Catholic and Protestant activists from the Council Bluffs area) Nope. They are all in favor of this bill. The FAMiLY Leader has currently registered that it is non decided.

Steve Deace identified one, and The Iowa Republican identified another who can in effect keep this bill from even getting out of the House Human Resources committee – State Representatives Kim Pearson (R-Pleasant Hill) and Glen Massie (R-Des Moines). There are 21 members of this committee – 12 Republicans and 9 Democrats. The bill needs 11 votes to make it out of committee. Right now there are 10 votes.

Why don’t they support this bill? Because it represents incrementalism. Because it doesn’t go far enough. Because it is based on the fetal pain argument.

blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/01/20/banning-late-term-abortion-in-iowa-should-be-a-priority-for-all-prolifers/

 

[PAboy57]

some baby steps would be good for now. bigger steps later.

 

[Sherry_G]

I cannot see how anyone could support legislation that says, in effect, OK to kill a 19 week old, but put the brakes on at 20 weeks. This approach fails the litmus test. Back to the drawing board and draft some new legislation. I am betting that is what the pro-lifers in the congress are saying. We cannot move the line on this issue, not even one day after conception is acceptable to kill an innocent life.

 

[CatholicBoy1957]

All they have to do is lie. 27 weeks? Let’s make it 20. Let’s do it for the pimp, and his underage girls.

 

[Being_Brave]

I will never in a million years understand why people think it’s okay to kill a baby, at any stage of development, under any circumstance. Is this 20 weeks thing just a compromise to get the pro-lifers to shut up? I wish there were a way to guarantee that this would be just one step towards the goal, but I have a feeling it would serve as a pacifier in the minds of pro-choice supporters and make them feel they’ve done their job in giving pro-lifers “what we want”.

OP, this title is a very good way of putting it.

 

[vera_dicere]

We’re bearing down the barrell of the 40th anniversary of Roe. 20 years ago such a legisliation would have been imposssible, heck, maybe even ten years ago.

I think we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of the forrest for the trees business, we need to take baby steps as above mentioned. If we can get peopel thinking about why its not okay to kill a 27 weeker but fine for a 20 weeker when its the same child then we have started the ball rolling. People, especially your average pro-abort, don’t think of these children as children and we need to gradually introduce the concept to them, because the average pro-abort won’t accept no abortion but the luke warm ones will start to question the LTA’s, connect the dots they’ll end up at the no abortion opinion soon enough.

My only concern with such a law is the pro-aborts could slip something in like make this law of 20 weeks permanant and legally untouchable so ten years from now it couldn’t be banned even if the public wanted it.