Iowa GOP abortion bill will grant parents of unmarried women rights to control adult daughters' bodies

An anti-abortion bill being offered by Republicans in Iowa would effectively ban all abortions and give parents rights over the bodies of unmarried adult daughters.

A state House panel on Wednesday voted to send SF 471 -- the so-called "personhood" bill -- to the full committee. The bill states that life begins at conception, giving fetuses the same rights as people.

Anticipating that the "personhood" provision of the bill will likely be struck down by courts, the GOP bill also provides criminal punishment for anyone who performs an abortion more than 20 weeks after conception. The bill makes exceptions if the life of the mother is at risk. However, it does not make exceptions for rape or incest.

Iowa House Democrats noted on Wednesday that HF 53, to which SF 471 is a successor, also gives parents the legal right to prevent unmarried adult daughters from having an abortion.

The bill states "injunctive relief to prevent a physician from performing abortions" may be obtained "by a parent or guardian of the woman if the woman is less than eighteen years of age or unmarried at the time the abortion was performed or attempted to be performed."

The Iowa House Human Resources Committee was scheduled to debate Senate File 471 on Wednesday.