Iowa’s Democratic US Senate candidates call for protecting abortions
Iowa Democrats running for the U.S. Senate nomination called for codifying abortion protections into federal law Saturday as they met for their first televised debate of the election cycle.
Democrats Abby Finkenauer, Mike Franken and Glenn Hurst kicked off the discussion with a round of answers related to the recent leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The three candidates are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the June 7 primary race, and the winner is expected to take on incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fall.
“We are at a crossroads in American history right now,” said Hurst, a physician and Minden City Council member. He said he supports passing federal legislation to protect Americans’ rights to abortion, even offering to draft the bill himself.
“But being willing to vote for it is not the only thing that matters,” he said. “We have to be able to pass that bill. And we are stuck right now with an archaic problem, the filibuster.”
The filibuster is a legislative hurdle requiring 60 votes to start debate on a Senate bill. The Senate is currently divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.
In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court opinion, many Democrats have called for the eliminating the filibuster in order to pass abortion protections with a simple majority. But without support from key Democrats like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, that is unlikely to change.
More:What is the filibuster? A look at the Senate’s consequential quirk and debate on its future
Hurst and Finkenauer, a former congresswoman from Cedar Rapids, both called for ending the filibuster. Franken, a retired U.S. Navy Admiral, has called for ending the filibuster in previous statements but did not advocate for doing so during the KCCI debate Saturday.
“To all of the women watching tonight and to all the women across this country who are scared and worried about the fact that you have a United States Supreme Court who’s going after your rights,” Finkenauer said. “I hear you, and I am going to fight for you.”
Franken criticized Grassley’s role as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley held up the nomination of former Democratic President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, arguing his appointee should not be considered in an election year. But he supported former Republican President Donald Trump’s nominee late in his term. The high court now holds a 6-3 conservative majority.
“This is his legacy that he has done this,” Franken said. “I mean, the dishonesty and the unprofessional conduct of him as the chairman of the Judiciary (Committee) that has given us this decision with the Trump appointees is an exemplar of what is so wrong about this decision. The people that made this decision should not be in the positions they’re in.”
Overturning Roe would send abortion legislation back to the states, allowing each state government to adopt its own policies. Republicans and anti-abortion activists typically support this idea. All three of the Democratic Senate candidates disagreed, saying the issue should be determined at the federal level.
“We can’t have this varying situation between states,” Franken said. “I believe it’s a federal issue.”
Finkenauer said this issue is “at the top of the list” of reasons why Democrats need to win in November.
“If you are a state legislator, you do not belong in my doctor’s office or a doctor’s office of women across this country,” she said. “If you’re a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, you don’t belong in my doctor’s office. What is happening here is horrifying.”
Hurst said that ultimately women should be in control, rather than the government.
“I can’t require a person to donate blood,” he said. “I can’t require a person to donate a kidney I can’t require a person to do allow a kidney to be used post mortem without their written permission. Women should have complete control of their bodies at all times.”
The candidates answered additional questions on issues like inflation, extending benefits to address lingering concerns around the pandemic and whether to expand access to gasoline blended with ethanol.
Grassley has staunchly opposed abortion throughout his career, and he was endorsed in his re-election campaign by the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony’s List Candidate Fund PAC.
More:Chuck Grassley: Leak of draft opinion on Roe v. Wade is ‘monumental breach of trust’
He told reporters recently that the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion was “a monumental breach of trust within our judicial system,” and he called for it to be thoroughly investigated.
But he was more circumspect in addressing the content of the draft, saying “there’s not much sense” getting too far into it until the court issues its final ruling.
Early voting begins May 18 for the June 7 primary elections.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
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