How to Fix a Bad Abortion Bill, GOP Version.

Iowa law currently requires all women seeking an abortion to have an unnecessary, invasive, ultrasound. The woman must certify to the abortion provider that she had the ultrasound 72 hours prior and that she had the opportunity to see the images and hear the fetal heartbeat. Clearly this is a horrible, vindictive law with a host of problems. 

Republican State Senator Brad Zaun from Polk County, looked at the flaws in this statute and decided to fix it with Senate File 2215. Women seeking an abortion shouldn’t be offered an opportunity to listen to the heartbeat and the doctor’s detailed description of the fetus. 

No, indeed.

They should be given an unnecessary, invasive ultrasound 72 hours prior and FORCED to listen to the doctor’s detailed description of the fetus, its external digits, internal organs if visible, and its heartbeat. 

Brad Zaun’s bill does allow the woman to turn down the volume and avert her eyes if she wants to. He isn’t totally cruel and heartless.

Just when you think an anti-choice law can’t possibly get any worse, our evangelical Christian legislators find a way. Brad Zaun, at least, will stop at nothing to force more women to give birth to unwanted children against their will. 

The GOP controls both houses of the state legislature and the governor so the odds are good that this will pass. But they do sometimes listen of enough people call and complain. 

Please contact your state senators and representatives and tell them to oppose this bill. Senator Zaun lives in District 20. I will include his contact info below.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair, Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers



HF 2273: Freedom of Conscience for Those Who Have No Conscience.

Religious freedom of conscience bills are popping up across the country as conservative legislators look to November 3rd and realize their days in office might be numbered. These Project Blitz inspired bills all seek to protect Christian evangelicals from the consequences of violating civil rights and tax laws that apply equally to everyone else. They are like knock-off replacement consciences for people who have tithed their own consciences to the local prosperity gospel preacher.

House File 2273, the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act,” is unusual only in its breathtaking scope and detail.

It lists specific religious beliefs to be protected, including 1) marriage as between one man and one woman, 2)”male” and “female” determined by anatomy and genetics at birth, and 3) personhood from the moment of conception.

On the basis of those three beliefs, It allows business, individuals, and religious organizations to ignore civil rights laws that everybody else must follow. The bill includes a long list of privileged situations, including any wedding-related services, employment, real estate sales. housing/rental property, adoption/foster care, education, medical care, counseling, fertility, student dress, access to restrooms, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

According to the bill, state employees can promote their religion in the workplace, refuse to issue marriage licenses, refuse to solemnize marriages, and so much more. I am only scratching the surface of the explicit privileges this bill grants Christians.

Contact your legislators and tell them to vote this down. Email them. Call them. Fax them. Write letters to the editor. Light a fire and send smoke signals. Whatever you have to do.

Yeah, I know, I say that a lot — almost every article I write about the state legislature. But this bill is one of the worst we are going to see this entire session. Don’t let this bill pass.

I’m including links to the sponsors contact info below.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

HF 2274: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

House File 2274, filed by Jeff Shipley (R) from Van Buren County, would create “an act requesting an interim study committee on gender identity, the Iowa civil rights Act of 1965, and suicide by  transgender individuals.”

The study committee shall explore the application of gender identity as a protected class as it relates to prisons, schools, private enterprise, freedom of expression, and other areas of relevance to determine if statutory changes pertaining to the terms “gender”, “gender identity”, “woman”, “sex”, or to other matters under chapter 216 are necessary or advisable.

That sounds good, doesn’t it? It is always refreshing to see our elected officials take an objective, in depth look at legislative issues so that they are better informed about the facts when they write their bills.

The thing is, something about it sounds off to me. I don’t think the author of this bill is being honest about its stated goal. Here is what I know: Jeff Shipley, (R) from Van Buren County, has a history of support for pseudoscience, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ, pro-theocracy, and pro “religious freedom” bills designed to privilege his Christian religion. Last year he sponsored HF 258, a typical RFRA bill; HF 187, a bill to ban fluoride additives in public water supplies, HF 332, a bill promoting alternative medicine, and HF 257, a bill to cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations.

Could he have had an epiphany over the summer and now loves science? Maybe. Let’s just say his track record for evidence-based legislation does not inspire confidence.

The second paragraph of the bill includes this:

In recognition that each and every human being is afforded dignity and valued as a child of God, the goal of the study committee shall be to engage in rigorous examination and expansive dialogue regarding issues relating to gender identity in order to end the tragedy of suicide by transgender individuals in this state.

So the premise of this bill is faith, not evidence.

Finally, the interim committee would consist of ten members, with six of the ten appointed by the majority party, i.e. Republicans.

I don’t trust Shipley or the GOP House and Senate leaders to conduct to conduct a fair or objective study of gender identity, LGBTQ rights, and transgender suicides. Maybe they will surprise me, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair


SF 2130: Fraudulent Concealment of Sexual Orientation

Sorry folks. I’ve been slacking. So many horrible bills have been filed this last week. I’ll do my best to catch up.

Let’s start with Iowa Senate File 2130, sponsored by Dennis Guth (R) from Hancock County. This bill would require all marriage licenses to include the sexual orientation of each person who signs it. Failure to do so would be an offense called, “Fraudulent Concealment of Sexual; Orientation. (FCSO).” It wouldn’t be a crime, per se. But it’s certainly meant to punish LGBTQ persons who come out of the closet after they get married. This “offense” comes in to play during divorce proceedings that involve child custody.

If a court finds that one of the people involved in the dissolution proceeding is guilty of FCSO, that persons would irrevocably lose their child custody rights. According to this bill, FCSO would outweigh any other consideration in awarding custody of children.

In other words, this bill outs LGBTQ persons on their marriage licenses — a searchable, public document. It portrays LGBTQ people as dangerous threats to their own children. It violates their right to privacy in the most public way imaginable. And finally it establishes in Iowa law the Christian privilege that marriage only applies to heterosexual unions.

Why is David Guth — like the God he worships — so inordinately obsessed with what his constituents do in the privacy of their own bedrooms? What business does he have interfering with the lives of people who have committed no moral or — until now — legal crime?

If you live in Dennis Guth’s district, please call or email him and let him know that this is a moral mucous stain of a bill that you will remember on November 3. If you don’t live in Guth’s district, call your state senators and representatives and tell them to vote against this horrible bill.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair

Secular Planks for the Caucuses: Get Them Here!

I’ve been working with Justin Scott to develop secular planks for the Iowa Caucuses. They are ready to go. Just send him an email at iowaatheist247@gmail.com with your county and the party you plan to caucus with. He will respond with a pdf containing all the planks which you can print off at your leisure.

We have planks written for both Republican and Democratic Caucuses.

The Caucuses are two days out as I write this. How many separate precincts can we submit them to? Let’s hit them all folks. Get your caucus planks now and then get out there Monday evening and make a difference.

I am including a short post from Justin below with more information.

Nonreligious focused planks are ready to go for both the Republican and Democratic caucuses in Iowa! If you'd like to get a copy of them, please email me at iowaatheist247@gmail.com with the subject line: Planks Please!

Include in your email what party you're going to caucus for and what county you're in. I'll reply back with a PDF of all of them so you can flip through them, pick which ones you want to print off and take with you to your caucus! Encourage your secular friends to email me if they're interested as well! 

Thank you! Let's make a HUGE impact Monday night in more ways than just picking who the winner(s) is! 

#AtheistVoter

P.S. These planks are NOT connected with American Atheists or any group around the state of Iowa. Due to unforeseen challenges, we weren't able to make these official. These are just from my own skimming through both party platforms the past few weeks. That's not an issue though as they'll get the job done Monday night regardless!

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair