By Dan Russo
Editorial
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed over a dozen bills into law May 19. Some of them address issues that are of particular interest to Iowa’s Catholics.
The Medical Ethics Defense (MED) Act (HF 571) is set to take effect July 1. It allows medical personnel and healthcare organizations the right not to participate in or pay for healthcare service that violates their conscience. Providers are still required to give necessary emergency care.
In interviews with The Catholic Messenger last month, the state representative for the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), Dr. Tim Millea, and Catholic medical students who back the MED Act explained why they support it. They believe its passage will provide much needed protection of conscience rights and will help attract healthcare workers to Iowa at a time when there are shortages in the medical field.
Another new law (HF 2788) would require abortion-inducing medication to be prescribed in person by medical professionals after a physical exam. The law restricts Iowans’ ability to receive these medications through telehealth and mail order providers.
Heated debate preceded the passage of this law. It was supported by both the CMA and The Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC). “Although we do not support abortion, it is better to limit the possible harm to the mother by prohibiting drugs to be mailed from an unregulated website with no physician involvement,” reads a recent update from the ICC. “The bill is also specific about care being available to the mother in the event of a medical emergency.” This law should aid in preventing serious medical complications from chemical abortions and will also help protect women from coercion and abuse. Local pro-life advocates spoke about the concerning rise in telehealth abortions nationally as part of The Catholic Messenger’s coverage of this issue in February.
The CMA and other organizations have advocated strongly for the resumption of in person physical exams following the decision of The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 to permanently remove a federal requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person at a clinic or doctor’s office.
Many local Catholic schools’ enrollment has benefited from Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in recent years. In the Davenport Diocese, enrollment has risen for two years in a row, due in large part to the ESA program. “Overall enrollment for preschool through senior year in high school was up 252 students compared to last school year,” according to reporting that appeared in The Catholic Messenger in February. HF 2754, one of the other new laws, “includes a second sign-up window for Education Savings Accounts in the fall and access to the state preschool program for private providers through the Department of Education, according to the ICC.”
HF 864 requires companies to verify someone’s age before pornographic websites can be visited. The ICC reports that this passage occurred after two years of work. It may not be a cure-all in a society where the average child is exposed to porn in elementary school, but it’s a good step in the right direction and may help some young people avoid developing an addiction to something the American College of Pediatrics says is “associated with many negative emotional, psychological, sociological, and physical health outcomes.”
For more coverage of the 2026 session of the Iowa legislature, visit iowacatholicconference.org.
Dan Russo, editor
