Iowa's Attorney General Refuses to Defend Heartbeat Abortion Ban

Calvin Freiburger : May 17, 2018
LifeSiteNews.com

But the announcement will not leave the heartbeat law defenseless.

(Des Moines, IA)—[Lifesitenews.com] The Democratic attorney general of Iowa is refusing to defend the state's new ban on aborting babies with detectable heartbeats, citing his personal opposition to the duly-enacted law. (Photo: Indiana AG Tom Miller/via LifeSiteNews)

"Attorney General Tom Miller has disqualified himself from representing the state" in the inevitable court battle over the law, Iowa Solicitor General Jeffrey Thompson announced in a letter Tuesday. "The disqualification is based on the Attorney General's determination that he could not zealously assert the state's position because of his core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and protections for women."

In Iowa, attorneys general are elected separately from governors and are not bound to pursue the same policy goals as the rest of the executive branch.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law, which is the strongest in the United States, on May 4. It is expected to stop most abortions, starting between 6-8 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, and threats to a mother's life. Reynolds subsequently vowed to defend the law, declaring it a "fight worth having, and pro-life lawmakers see it as an opportunity to challenge Roe v. Wade"...

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