Hunter
07/10/23
Two days before Iowa legislators are expected to ban abortion in a special session, faith leaders from across the state held a news conference voicing support for reproductive freedom.
The Des Moines Register reports the conference was held via Zoom Sunday.
The Rev. Betsey Monnot, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, spoke as part of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund, a progressive group made up of Christians, Jews and other faiths as well as atheists and agnostics. She said limits on abortion called for by Gov. Kim Reynolds are based on the beliefs of one arm of Christianity and aren’t universally shared by her and other members of the faith.
A statement from the Alliance referenced the 2022 Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, saying 61 percent of Iowans in communities big and small believe abortion should be legal.
Governor Reynolds called the special session after the state Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 in a ruling asking to enact a long-blocked 2018 state law that effectively banned abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions are currently legal in Iowa until the 20th week of pregnancy.