Allegations and answers about what Iowa congressional candidates think about abortion

JOHNSTON, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – The issue of abortion access – and whether abortion should remain legal – has become one of the biggest campaign issues in 2024. And both have become key topics in Iowa’s congressional race and in the only televised debate the two candidates will have before the November election.

The issue has become a flashpoint in the election campaign after former President Donald Trump’s appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court helped overturn the Roe v. Wade 1973, which had previously guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion for almost half a century. This essentially left the decision up to the states.

Republican-led states like Iowa have banned almost all abortions. Iowa law only allows abortions before doctors can detect a heartbeat, which typically occurs around the sixth week of a woman’s pregnancy. The law allows for exceptions that include rape, incest and the life of the mother.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican seeking her third term in Congress, and Christina Bohannan, a Democrat seeking her second run for the 1st Congressional District, debated Monday night on Iowa PBS.

The two candidates made a number of claims about each other’s positions on abortion. Miller-Meeks questioned whether Bohannan would support late-term abortions since Roe v. Wade wouldn’t necessarily ban them. And Bohannan questioned whether Miller-Meeks would ban all abortions since she supported the federal Life at Conception legislation.

What do the candidates say they would support?

Bohannan: Wants Congress to reinstate Roe v. Wade provisions, but said during the debate that she could support legislation similar to Iowa’s previous law that allowed abortions up to 20 weeks.

Miller-Meeks: Said she supports a federal law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.