Politicians should not be making anyone’s health decisions for them.

Since Governor Kim Reynolds’ decision in December of last year to reinstate a law that outlaws abortion in most cases after six weeks of pregnancy and a judge’s subsequent striking down of that bill, abortion has been a hot-button issue in Iowa.

Politics simply do not have a place in governing the individual’s personal life. Laws impact the everyday lives and the fundamental rights of all people, and no one should be forced to do something with their body if they don’t want to. 

The 2018 legislation had been restricted into an injunction, meaning that no one would be required to follow this law or be punished for not doing so. 

Since the US Supreme Court determined that abortion was not protected in the Constitution last year, Reynolds was seeking to have this injunction lifted so the law would not be restricted. 

The Republican-backed Heartbeat Law would make it illegal for pregnant people to terminate the fetus, should the fetus exhibit cardiac activity during the pregnancy stages. This was met with fierce opposition from pro-choice advocates.

On Friday, June 16th, 2023, Reynold’s legislation went to the Iowa Supreme Court where it was struck down in a tied 3-3 decision. 

It is crucial that this bill did not become law and it is crucial that it never becomes law.

One important thing to consider is that some people do not find out that they are pregnant until the sixth week.  If this legislation had become an active law, many people who did not know they were pregnant would have been forced to carry to term and give birth.

The Iowa Supreme Court’s decision was met with outrage from Republican legislators. Many conservative leaders are advocating for the resignation of the justices who struck down this bill. 

One conservative leader, Bob Vander Plaats, is advocating for the three justices to either resign from the Court or be ousted by the legislature. His belief is that the justices violated the Constitution, despite the fact that last summer’s decision from the Supreme Court did not make abortion illegal across the country, but it left the decision up to the states. 

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst had an insightful perspective on the issue- “It’s simple: people over politics. Politicians and judges have no place interfering in someone else’s decision about when to start a family. These decisions are deeply personal and the ability to make our own health care decisions is fundamental to our rights as individuals.”

Ultimately, it is for the best that politics take a back seat and not interfere with the personal freedom of someone’s life. 

Making laws for the sake of the fetus should not impact all the lives of people in the US especially when it is forcing people to do something they do not want to do. The government has no business in forcing its citizens to make unwilling choices.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.