Representative Devon Wood addresses the Iowa March for Life

[Devon Wood is represents the 17th District in the Iowa House of Representatives. She is one of the youngest members in the Iowa Legislature, demonstrating wisdom beyond her years in her remarks at this year’s Iowa March for Life. She gave Pulse Life Advocates permission to reprint them below]:

Good afternoon!

I am so excited to be here with so many of my friends and new faces. But we all share one incredible thing and that is caring about babies and the beautiful women who carry and raise them.

And that is why I wanted to share a little bit about a bill I was so proud to work on this legislative session – with the help of many of you in this room.

First I want to take you back just a little bit to the Summer of 2023, we all remember what happened then right? That’s right a special session to pass our Heartbeat Law. I was a first term member of our house and I was excited to be a part of it!

I was fresh off of the elation getting to talk with amazing pregnancy centers and their work along with prioritizing maternity care access with the expansion of the regional centers of excellence program to bring more access to rural Iowa. This was an exciting time and that day actually fell on my birthday! What an incredible gift to spend the day fighting so that Iowa babies can have more birthdays!

Black market pill providers

Now back to this last fall. Pre session we’re having conversations about bills coming up this year and we saw an opportunity to continue fighting for those babies and strengthen our heart beat law once again.

That bill was being threatened. Not by the courts, not by legislative action but by black market pill providers!

You can go online right now and search where to get an abortion pill and you will see results like “click here! Ships to all 50 states!”

That’s right, picture the scene. A woman takes a test, she’s panicked, she may be alone or with a man in her life but she doesn’t know where to turn. She clicks the link and is sent a set of pills by mail.

What’s in them?

Was this overseen by a real doctor?

Is there a basement pill pressing operation or a medical grade facility on the other end?

She doesn’t know.

She takes the pills, within hours she’s bleeding, she’s scared and she doesn’t know who to call. The information on the page in her package simply says if you go to the hospital don’t tell them what you took. It tells her to lie and say she is having a miscarriage.

This story is a summary of many, many conversations with mothers I had over the course of this process and it’s clear: taking anything at home without the expert conversation with a doctor is dangerous. Taking something you don’t know where it came from or could be laced with is deadly.

So, the bill signed into Law by governor Reynolds on May 19, was crafted.

Black Market Abortion Pill Bill

The very first priority of this legislation was to ensure that no mother in Iowa is ever left in pain or dying on a table because of the lies and confusion created by pro-abortion activists. We have taken the “gray area” created by them and turned it into clear, black-and-white. This enhanced definition of abortion in Iowa explicitly states that the treatment of ectopic pregnancies and the treatment of a miscarriages ARE NOT an abortion under IOWA code.

Proponents of fear and misinformation have too long twisted the reality of our previous definition of abortion, saying it does not provide care for a woman facing an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage. That is a lie. And, in my opinion, those who spread it should be ashamed, but now it is crystal clear.

Now back to our new mother: Through much research the statistics stand out information like 1/4 women seeking an abortion are in coercive or abusive situations. But, these aren’t just statistics; these are women being silenced by their abusers. By requiring in-person screenings, we are giving these women a lifeline. We are providing a private, clinical sanctuary where an expert can look them in the eye and ask, “Are you safe?” That opportunity for intervention is lost the moment you move this process to a computer screen and a mailbox.

It also creates consistent requirements on what physicians must follow when administering this drug. It’s called informed consent. It’s standard practice for any and every procedure, medication, or treatment plan. It is not difficult, it is not onerous, it’s what every patient deserves.

A woman deserves to know:

1) What exactly they are taking;

2) What risks and complications taking this action may have;

3) What to do if you are scared that you are having a potentially serious complication.

This bill created a new code chapter that is simple. It ennhances penalties for and prohibits:

1) The dispensing of medicine by anyone not licensed to do so;

2)  Drugs from being dispensed to someone other than the patient;

3)  Drugs from being dispensed outside of a medical setting.

This is not rocket science. This is simple. We hold all medications in Iowa to the same standards.  Why would anyone want to lower the bar for these women?

Iowa took a stand against unregulated street drugs and anonymous mail-order pills. We are taking a stand to ensure women are not dismissed or silenced.

Women in Iowa are not political pawns. Their children are not political pawns. Upholding the expectation of medical excellence and human compassion is not radical—it is our job.

Today when we walk for life I will be thinking of so many mothers who told me their stories. Today I walk for you.

Thank you

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