Lawmakers in the Iowa house passed a bill last week that would force a pregnant person seeking an abortion to undergo counseling prior to the procedure.

Lawmakers in the Iowa house passed a bill last week that would force a pregnant person seeking an abortion to undergo counseling prior to the procedure.

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Lawmakers in the Iowa house passed a bill last week that would force a pregnant person seeking an abortion to undergo counseling prior to the procedure.

HF 573 was introduced Monday by the House Committee on Human Resources, and passed by the full house on Thursday.

The bill would require that prior to performing an abortion, a physician must certify in the patient’s medical record that the patient has undergone an ultrasound imaging of the fetus and has been given the opportunity to view the image.

The patient must also have been given the option of hearing a description of the ultrasound image and hearing the heartbeat of the fetus.

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The bill is nearly identical to HF 58, which was sponsored by Rep. Joel Fry (R-Osceola). The only difference in the bills is several additions of the phrase “unborn child.”

HF 58 was passed this month by the House Committee on Human Resources subcommittee, where it had the backing of the conservative Christian anti-choice organization The Family Leader Foundation and was opposed by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, according to Associated Press reporting. It was eventually withdrawn; the House Committee on Human Resources then introduced HF 573 as its so-called successor.

Forced ultrasound laws are often an attempt to use emotional appeals to dissuade women from getting an abortion. However, according to one study, women who view an ultrasound image are not likely to change their mind about going through with the procedure.

Supporters of HF 573 claim it is meant to provide important information to women about abortion. “It is my belief that we are defending two lives here, both a mother and a child,” Fry said when the floor debate began on Thursday, Radio Iowa reported.

“The woman will have the opportunity to get more full knowledge about the reality of the unborn baby growing inside her,” Rep. Sandy Salmon, (R-Janesville) said. “Our hope is that with this knowledge she will choose to honor that baby’s right to live.”

Opponents say that the legislation is government interference into women’s reproductive health-care decisions. “This proposed bill is just another effort by some lawmakers to shame a woman who has made a difficult decision to end her pregnancy,” Rep. Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City) said, reported Reuters.

Dozens of amendments were offered during the debate, but only a handful were voted on and only one was adopted. An amendment was accepted to include an exception in cases of “medical emergency or if the pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse … or incest.”

The exception for a medical emergency would only apply if a woman was in danger of death or “serious impairment of a major bodily function.”

After several hours of debate, the bill passed by a 57-39 vote, mostly along partisan lines, with one Republican joining 38 Democrats voting against and two Democrats joining 55 Republicans in favor of the bill.

The bill’s passage through the the house was unsurprising, as Republicans have a 57-43 majority. However, passage through the senate seems unlikely, as Democrats hold a 26-24 majority in the chamber.