I found this to be very interesting. Have any of you noticed a difference?

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Dear How to Do It,
I am a 59-year-old disabled woman who has used Facebook to reconnect with a 72-year-old man whom I worked with/for 20 years ago. We started talking on the phone and fell in love. We just recently discovered phone sex and it is fantastic. Right now we are super long distance but after I get my hip replacement, we plan to be together. My problem is that I was celibate for 20-plus years. When I had a Pap smear a couple of years ago, I was extremely dry and it was very painful. The gynecologist at the time mentioned something about my pelvic floor “seizing up.” My question is: What can I do to prepare for a very active sexual life again?
—Raring to Go


Dear Raring to Go,

A visit to the gynecologist’s office and a romp with a romantic partner are two very different things. That said, your body is older than it was when you were last having sex, and you may find that certain positions no longer work for you. Ask the doctor handling your hip replacement what that means as far as aftercare and what kinds of strain you’ll want to avoid. While you’re at it, check in with your gynecologist (it might be time for another Pap smear anyway) and ask about their thoughts on the seizing you experienced at your last visit. If you aren’t already masturbating during your phone sex sessions, add that in and see how your body responds.

There were about 3 or 4 Caesar's in the neighborhood growing up and now I rarely run into that name. (minus the Pizza or the Casino)

US firm that paid indicted FBI informant tied to Trump associates, records reveal​

Alexander Smirnov was paid $600,000 in 2020 – the same year he allegedly began lying to FBI about Bidens’ role in Ukraine business

"An American company that paid the now indicted FBI informant Alexander Smirnov in 2020 is connected to a UK company owned by Trump business associates in Dubai, according to business filings and court documents.

Smirnov is now accused of lying to the FBI about Hunter Biden and his father, President Joe Biden, alleging that they engaged in a bribery scheme with executives at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Smirnov’s accounts to the FBI, beginning in 2020, that federal prosecutors now say are fabrications, served as a major justification of the House impeachment investigation into the Bidens.


Republican lawmakers have repeatedly touted Smirnov as a reliable informant, and the chairman of the House oversight committee, James Comer, even threatened to hold FBI director Christopher Wray in contempt unless he “handed over” a June 2020 FBI form with Smirnov’s claims to the committee.

Back in 2020, Smirnov was paid $600,000 by a company called Economic Transformation Technologies (ETT), prosecutors said. That same year, Smirnov began lying to the FBI about the Bidens, according to the indictment."
Condon, Arjomand and Khan registered ETT Investment Holding Limited in the UK on 6 March 2020. Khan, an investor who purchased the Plaza Hotel in 2018, and Arjomand have ties to Donald Trump through Trump associates and Damac, a major Middle East developer that has partnered with Trump for a decade. Arjomand, Khan and Condon owned 34%, 33% and 33% of ETT Investment Holding Limited respectively, according to UK business filings. No other information on the UK company is readily available.

Former Damac chairman Hussain Sajwani is also close to Trump and has been described as his friend in multiple news reports. Trump has called the billionaire a “friend” and a “great man”, and his family “the most beautiful people”.

Nfm

Press release from the UI:

IOWA CITY, Iowa — P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Iowa women’s basketball coach, Lisa Bluder, was tabbed a Semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award on Thursday. Bluder was a semifinalist a season ago and was the recipient of the award in 2019.

The Naismith Coach of the Year award is presented annually to the most outstanding men’s and women’s head coach who achieves tremendous on-court success.

Jersey Mike’s is proud to partner with the Naismith Awards in recognizing the outstanding efforts of collegiate athletes and coaches, rewarding their drive and achievements on the court.

Bluder has guided the program to its eighth consecutive season with 20 or more victories in her 24th year as the head coach at the University of Iowa. Under her direction, Iowa has won three straight Big Ten Tournament titles and had six out of the last seven Big Ten POYs.

---

I think a strong case can be made for Bluder as not only a finalist but a worthy candidate to win. She probably won't — Dawn Staley's right there — but creating that system for Clark and her teammates to be so successful and on the precipice of a 1-seed was no sure thing.

Also, it's purely coincidence (alphabetical order), but you'll notice who's right next to Bluder in the Naismith graphic:

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Perhaps the next torch-carrier for the Hawkeye WBB program?

Anyone else ever see this movie? Little-known but Ben Kingsley is amazing in it.

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Any TWD fans watching all the spin-offs on AMC+? Just watched the first two episodes of the Rick and Michonne series. Pretty solid.

Five Under-the-Radar FCS Teams to Watch in 2024​

Which teams could surprise folks this year?

2. Illinois State

The Redbirds don’t often get a lot love simply because of where they play and who they play against. The Missouri Valley had six teams qualify for the postseason last fall and yet, Illinois State was still right in the mix and actually had a similar conference record to SIU who made the cut. ISU is close and just needs a few more pieces to push them over the finish line.

Those pieces seem to have come via the portal and, specifically, on the offensive side of the ball. The Redbirds beefed up their O line with the additions of lineman Brandon Smith (Western Michigan) and JJ Guedet (Minnesota). Former Western Michigan tight end Mitch Bartol has also joined the fray as has ex-Kansas State playmakers in QB Jake Rubley and receiver Xavier Loyd. This extra attention to offense is just what Illinois State needed, especially after losing last year’s quarterback Zack Annexstad and top rusher Mason Blakemore.

The other good news for ISU is that they retain several familiar faces. The team’s best receiver, Daniel Sobkowicz, is entering his junior season and is looking to improve on a 933-yard, 10-touchdown showing in 2023. DB Mark Cannon Jr. is also back after leading the team with three picks. It might just be the right mix of new and old for the Redbirds this year as they look to break through the playoff bubble.

A bill that would allow state agencies to bypass the state auditor’s office by hiring private accountants to conduct annual audits was shelved Wednesday ahead of a key legislative deadline.



The House State Government Committee opted not to advance Senate File 2311, making it unlikely to become law this year. The bill last month passed the Senate, 31-16.


Rep. Jane Bloomingdale, R-Northwood, who chairs the committee, said members had too many concerns about the potential added costs created by the bill. A fiscal note from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency found that hiring a private CPA firm could cost up to more than three times as much as using the state auditor’s staff.




"It was just something the committee couldn't get behind," Bloomingdale said, adding there's not support to move the bill forward in the House.


State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat elected to statewide office in Iowa, said in a statement the tabling “is a welcome development that respects the will of the voters and won't waste taxpayer money.”


Sand and legislative Democrats say the bill “kneecaps” Sand’s authority as auditor and opens the door to corruption by allowing government officials to bypass the state auditor for annual audits. Republican supporters argue the hiring of a private accountant to conduct a required annual audit already is allowed and widely employed by local governments and school districts.


A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows a majority of Iowans oppose the measure.

Senate Democrats urge action on Perry Tyson plant closing​

Democratic lawmakers in the Iowa Senate are urging the Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds to take action to help residents of Perry deal with the closing of Tyson Foods’ pork plant there, which will result in the elimination of roughly 1,200 jobs.


Democrats also criticized recent, Republican-approved changes to the state’s unemployment benefits program, which reduced the amount of time that individuals can receive benefits by nearly three months.


The Perry Tyson plant will close near the end of June. The Associated Press reported that Tyson will work with state and local officials to help workers who are losing their jobs, but the company did not say what severance packages it will offer.


Multiple Iowa Senate Democrats spoke on the floor Wednesday, calling on Reynolds to release emergency funding to help the workers remain in Perry while finding a new job, and for Tyson to offer Perry workers a severance package.


Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, criticized the reduction in state unemployment benefits that Statehouse Republicans approved in 2020. Dotzler noted that at the time, Senate Democrats offered an amendment that would have kept the longer benefits eligibility in place for workers impacted by plant closures.






“These benefits paid to workers also help the small businesses in their town. … They buy their goods, get their gas; they are the real engine of economic development in keeping small businesses alive in Perry,” Dotzler said. “And now, thanks to your actions, they’re going to lose nearly three months’ worth of benefits. That’s going to affect that community in a very negative way.”


A spokesman for Iowa Workforce Development said the state department will be working with Tyson to assist workers impacted by the Perry plant’s closure, including the deployment of the agency’s new, mobile workforce center.


In a statement, Republican Sen. Jason Schultz of Schleswig said Republicans' recent unemployment changes have been a success in getting Iowans back into the workforce. He noted that there are more than 13,000 job openings in Central Iowa.


“Plant closing and job losses are traumatic experience for employees affected by the closing, their families, and the entire community," Schultz said. "Iowa Workforce Development and Tyson are both fully engaged in finding new employment for the impacted workers in Perry."

Tax on hemp products proposed​

Sales of hemp-derived CBD and THC products in Iowa could carry a 25 percent tax under a bill Senate lawmakers advanced Wednesday.


Senate Study Bill 3186 is intended to put intoxicating THC drinks and other products on the same level as alcohol, which is subject to a tax from the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Division, said Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, who led a subcommittee on the bill.


“It’s not fair in this state to have these distributors paying a 7 percent sales tax on these products, meanwhile if you’re brewing or selling beer you’ve got to run it through ABD’s state warehouse,” he said. “The tax disparity is all off on these issues.”


Products containing THC, legal under federal and state hemp regulation laws, are sold at some shops and bars across Iowa and cause similar psychoactive effects to traditional marijuana. But the bill would go beyond THC and impose the same tax rate on non-psychoactive CBD and any other “consumable hemp” product sold in Iowa.


Owners of shops that sell CBD told lawmakers Wednesday the bill would punish those stores that are selling products that are used for therapeutic reasons and do not cause intoxication. They said the bill should more narrowly target high-THC products.


Lawmakers also are looking to regulate the THC content of hemp products. House lawmakers passed a bill this week to cap the potency of hemp products at 4 milligrams of THC per serving and 10 milligrams per package.

Iowa House passes drug pricing bill​

House lawmakers passed a bill, 93-3, Tuesday aimed at reining in prescription drug pricing practices that have forced small, independent and rural pharmacies to close.


House File 2401 would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from charging an insurer more than they pay a pharmacy to dispense a medication. The practice is refereed to as “spread pricing” — where the pharmacy benefit manager keeps the difference as profit.


Instead, the bill would require the managers to contract based on a “pass-through pricing” model — meaning they could not pay pharmacies less than they charge the insurers that contract with them.


Pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs, are third-party companies that function as intermediaries between insurance providers and drug manufacturers. The multibillion-dollar companies play a major role in negotiating drug prices and reimbursements for pharmacies.


Lawmakers said the bill would aid rural and independent community pharmacies that have struggled because of PBM practices. Pharmacies across Iowa have closed at an alarming rate over the past decade-plus, partly because insurance payouts don't cover drug costs. Independent pharmacies rely on pharmacy benefit managers so that they can take various insurance plans, but those companies also decide how much money the pharmacists receive when reimbursing them.


Pharmacists have said they are selling many common, brand-name prescriptions at a loss because PBMs reimburse them less than a pharmacy's cost to acquire the drug.


“At one time, Iowa counties had a minimum of two pharmacies. Now we are down to 54 (of 99) counties having at least two pharmacies,” bill manager Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, said in her closing comments on the House floor Tuesday. “… It’s time to take some bold action to stop the unfair treatment of our local pharmacies.”

Facing the prospect that they may never be able to impeach President Biden, House Republicans are exploring a pivot to a different strategy: issuing criminal referrals against him and those close to him.
In recent weeks, a political and factual reality has set in on Capitol Hill. Despite their subpoenas and depositions, House Republicans have been unable to produce any solid evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden and lack the votes in their own party to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors, the constitutional standard for impeachment.
Instead, top G.O.P. lawmakers have begun strategizing about making criminal referrals against Mr. Biden, members of his family and his associates, essentially sending letters to the Justice Department urging prosecutors to investigate specific crimes they believe may have been committed.
The move would be largely symbolic, but it would allow Republicans in Congress to save face while ending their so far struggling impeachment inquiry. It has the added appeal for the G.O.P. of aligning with former President Donald J. Trump’s vow to prosecute Mr. Biden if he wins the election.
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And it would avoid a repeat of the humiliating process House Republicans, who have a tiny and dwindling majority, went through last month with the impeachment of Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. After initially falling short of the votes to impeach Mr. Mayorkas, Republicans barely succeeded on the second try, only to realize that the Democratic-controlled Senate was poised to quickly acquit him — or even dismiss the charges without a trial.
“There’s nothing that I’ve heard in the last couple of weeks that says that we are anywhere close to having the votes” for impeachment, said Representative Kelly Armstrong, Republican of North Dakota and the author of the resolution authorizing the impeachment investigation.
Mr. Armstrong said he believed criminal referrals were the much more likely outcome. Mr. Armstrong suggested House Republicans could make referrals regarding alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act in connection with international business deals by Hunter Biden, the president’s son, and suggested that the Justice Department investigate accusations of obstruction.
“I’m still interested in why we haven’t gotten better answers on the whole-of-government approach to obstructing all of these investigations,” Mr. Armstrong said.
Republicans say they are not finished with their investigation, and could still change course and decide to hold an impeachment vote. They have scheduled a public hearing next week with former business partners of Hunter Biden, though Mr. Biden himself has refused to appear.

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In an interview, Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and the Judiciary Committee chairman, said he was also demanding audio recordings of President Biden that were part of the special-counsel investigation by Robert K. Hur into his handling of classified documents.

Criminal referrals, Mr. Jordan said, were among the options “on the table” as the House G.O.P. moves forward.
Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the Oversight Committee, has repeatedly suggested in recent weeks that issuing criminal referrals could mark the end of the impeachment inquiry, rather than an impeachment vote.
“At the end of the day, what does accountability look like? It looks like criminal referrals. It looks like referring people to the Department of Justice,” Mr. Comer said in a recent interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “If Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice won’t take any potential criminal referrals seriously, then maybe the next president, with a new attorney general, will.”
The shift to exploring criminal referrals came after Mr. Comer had what his aides say was a chance meeting last month with Mr. Trump in Florida. A spokeswoman for Mr. Comer would not comment on what was discussed, but said that while having lunch with Vernon Hill, a banker who has donated to Mr. Trump’s campaigns, the chairman unexpectedly ran into Mr. Trump and they had a brief 10-minute conversation.
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When I watch Peacock it never shows the score what am I doing wrong

check this out & watch:

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One more year!

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It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

A Johnson County jury Wednesday found a transgender musician and community activist not guilty of two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with officers during a protest at the University of Iowa last October.



The jury deliberated about three hours following about a day of trial testimony.


Gina Messamer, the lawyer for Tara Dutcher, 45, of Coralville, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.




Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith, confirmed the sealed verdict, which is the procedure in misdemeanor trials, which are not read in public court. The verdict should be filed online later.


“Being a juror is hard work,” Zimmermann Smith told The Gazette after the verdict. “We respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service. The defendant got a fair trial and, regardless of the outcome , that is always the ultimate goal.”


Dutcher, who uses the they/them pronouns, testified earlier Wednesday about their role in the demonstration at the UI. Dutcher said they didn’t block a lane of traffic that officers wanted cleared for vehicles and instead stayed in a crosswalk.


Dutcher joined the protest rally before the event started at 7 p.m. to support transgender individuals protesting the speaker, Chloe Cole, on Oct. 16, 2023, at the Iowa Memorial Union, and those who attended the event who would be leaving after 8 p.m.





Dutcher testified they understood protesters could walk in a circle, staying in the pedestrian crosswalks, at the Madison and Jefferson streets intersection. The group was walking for about 20 minutes before UI police officers tried to move Dutcher and the others.


Dutcher said they didn’t like that Lt. Travis Tyrell, a UI police investigator who testified Tuesday, was “grabbing and pushing” people. Dutcher felt a responsibility to speak up and tell Tyrell and the other officers to not touch the protesters.


Dutcher, by going to trial and not taking a plea agreement, was testing Iowa’s law on public protests, which was enacted as part of the “Back the Blue” laws in Iowa and 16 other states following demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Iowa’s law expanded protections for drivers who hit street protesters.


Dutcher was arrested with six others. Five of those charged pleaded to simple misdemeanors and received probation and deferred sentences.


Tyrell testified Tuesday that he regarded Dutcher as being in a leadership role because Dutcher had a confrontation with him and also told other protesters to stay in the group or in line when Tyrell and other officers tried to clear one lane for traffic.


Dutcher, who carried a “trans colors” flag and a pride flag, testified they weren’t a leader of the demonstration and the decision to march in a circle in the intersection wasn’t Dutcher’s. Someone else yelled, “Stay in the group,” Dutcher testified.


When a surveillance camera video was played Tuesday, Tyrell pointed out that incident and said Dutcher gave that command. The video was played during Dutcher’s testimony Wednesday, but they denied it was them giving that command.


The concern was over Tyrell touching, pushing or grabbing people, Dutcher said. Dutcher also was concerned because another officer, who used abusive language, had pushed protesters at previous events and was pushing people at this one.


Dutcher said they didn’t want to have any interaction with police and hadn’t in the past, but felt it was important to speak out when police were “hands on” with individuals.


Dutcher said they were familiar with protester’s rights and had learned about them through research on the ACLU website. Dutcher said police didn’t give an order for the protesters to disperse — and so they didn’t.


Dutcher recorded officers when they started touching people with the “intent” to document the behavior. A video shows Dutcher holding up a phone and confronting Tyrell as he asks protesters to move out of the lane of traffic. In the video, the officer is touching the shoulders of protesters to get them to move.


Tyrell grabbed Dutcher’s wrist, which Dutcher described as a “strong grasp.”


Assistant Johnson County Attorney Jacob Behnke asked if Dutcher had videos of the other officer being abusive in the past, or if that is part of a trial exhibit. Dutcher said no.


Dutcher denied wanting any interaction with police — only to raise attention to transgender issues.


The defense rested Wednesday after Dutcher’s testimony.


Sixth Judicial Associate District Judge Jason Burns denied the defense’s motion for a directed verdict because of insufficient evidence.

A bill that would limit the authority of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to purchase land for public use was shelved Wednesday ahead of a key legislative deadline.



The House State Government Committee opted not to advance the bill, making it unlikely to become law this year. Still, the committee's vice chair left open the possibility of the bill having some life left, noting that “nothing's ever dead in this building.”




Senate File 2324 would have banned the DNR from purchasing land at an auction and from receiving donated land from a nonprofit that bought it at an auction. Dozens of outdoors enthusiasts came to the Capitol this week to protest its passage. Supporters said the bill would allow Iowa farmers to more easily buy land without competition from the state.


Rep. Austin Harris, R-Moulton, wrote the House version of the bill and is vice chair of the State Government Committee. He said some Republican lawmakers were skeptical of the bill ahead of Wednesday’s committee meeting.


“There were some concerns shared by some members as of right now, so we decided to pull the bill for today,” Harris said. “We'll see what future avenues exist moving forward, but for today, we're just putting a pause on the bill.”


The bill likely will not clear this week’s legislative funnel deadline, which requires it to pass out of a House committee to be eligible for consideration going forward. The Iowa Senate approved the bill last month.


Harris said the DNR already has a policy of not purchasing land at auctions, and the bill would simply codify that agency rule. He said during a subcommittee meeting Tuesday that the opposition was motivated by "scare tactics."


"I believe with all my heart that this is good policy that was created by the DNR," he said. "This bill will not change a single thing, it does not threaten public land any more than the current policy does."

Conservationists oppose bill​

During a subcommittee hearing Tuesday, conservation groups, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts said they worried the bill would limit Iowans’ options for outdoor recreation.


Rod Marlatt, chair of the Fayette County Conservation Board, told lawmakers that outdoor recreation is one of the top reasons people visit, move to and stay in Iowa.


“Recreation opportunities are the top reasons for visitors to come to Iowa and subsequently move to our state,” he said. “Today’s visitors are tomorrow's residents. Beyond that, our public lands also retain residents both young and old."


About 1 percent of Iowa’s land is public and available for use by Iowans, according to the DNR.






After the bill failed to pass out of the committee Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation said the group was grateful that Iowans showed up to voice their concerns.


"We're so appreciative to everyone that advocated on this bill, reached out to their own legislators and members of the committee," he said. "... It just shows how much people really care about protecting public natural areas in Iowa."


Lawmakers have tried to restrict the state's ability to buy land for several years. A bill last year that would have required the state to prioritize maintenance of existing land over purchasing new land failed to pass.

Would it help farmers?​

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was one of the few groups that spoke in favor of the bill Tuesday. Kevin Kuhle, a lobbyist for the group, said the bill would mean farmers are not competing with the state for land that has risen dramatically in value in recent years. Kuhle noted, though, that the DNR’s current policy means they are not competing with farmers at auctions.


“In the past our farmers have had concerns about government involvement competing against farmers for land purchases,” he said. “We appreciate that the state has stated that they are largely not competing for land, competition isn’t the goal.”


Fred Long, president of the Iowa Conservation Alliance, said high farmland prices, not DNR competition, is preventing small and beginning farmers from buying land.


Iowa's farmland prices reached a historic high in 2023 at $11,835 an acre, according to Iowa State University.


"The young guy that's getting started, he doesn't have the money to wait 30 years to get a profit, so that's why he can't get started," Long said.https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/lawmakers-hit-brakes-on-bill-to-ban-iowa-dnr-from-buying-land-at-auction/

President Biden will propose a set of new housing initiatives in Thursday’s State of the Union address, including tax credits to offset high mortgage rates for first-time home buyers and encourage people to move out of starter homes and put them on the market.

Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend.

The proposals would provide middle-class, first-time buyers with $5,000 per year for two years. That would have the same effect as lowering a buyer’s mortgage rate by more than 1.5 percentage points for two years on the median home, according to the White House.

Biden will also call on Congress to provide a one-year credit of up to $10,000 for families who sell their starter homes, so long as their houses are below the median price in their county. The idea is to free up a part of the market that has been effectively frozen, as thousands of homeowners cling to low mortgages of 2 or 3 percent and avoid buying a new home with a much higher rate.
Rent is driving inflation. But there’s something off in the data.
The proposals build on the administration’s prior moves to build more homes, tackle high rents and help first-generation buyers get a down payment. And the moves come as housing persists as one of the most out-of-reach parts of the economy, and remains a key issue for voters in this year’s election.



“This plan is the most consequential set of housing recommendations in a State of a Union in over 50 years, and I say that because I've looked them all up,” said David Dworkin, president and chief executive officer of the National Housing Conference and a former Treasury Department official.
A job? Check. A place to live? Not so much.
Dworkin stressed that the administration’s most consequential housing plan was its commitment to build and preserve 2 million homes.
“We have a huge hole this would make a big dent in,” he said. “The supply side is driving housing prices, and this is the most ambitious housing supply agenda in recent history.”
The housing market has been strained from many directions. The country faces a shortfall of millions of homes, with underinvestment going back decades. Rents also soared during the pandemic, quickly becoming a top driver of inflation. Plus, the Federal Reserve’s fight to tame inflation prompted a rise in mortgage rates that continue to push many buyers out of the market.



Zoomed out even further, Biden’s efforts will also be tested by the strange nature of the post-pandemic market. Hundreds of thousands of new units finished construction last year. But much of it skews toward the higher end of the market, and housing experts have grown concerned about a simultaneous hollowing out of more affordable options. Senior White House officials argue many of the White House’s efforts target affordable housing and are designed to open up options for middle-class buyers.

“President Biden will lay out the boldest plan to lower housing costs and expand housing access in decades,” Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said in a statement. “He’ll call on Congress to pass his plan to unlock the housing market by providing mortgage relief to first-time home buyers and homeowners selling their starter homes and to support private sector construction of 2 million homes, while taking new administrative actions to lower closing costs and make our rental markets fairer.”

In vitro fertilization’s future in Iowa will not face legal uncertainty after all — at least for the moment.



A legislative proposal from Statehouse Republicans to increase criminal penalties when an individual causes the termination of a pregnancy without the mother’s consent — a proposal that also amended state law in a way that critics warned would endanger fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization — will no longer be considered by state lawmakers this year, a key legislator said Wednesday.


Sen. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he did not advance the legislation specifically because of questions about its potential impact on in vitro fertilization.




“I would say this: there was some definite concerns about in vitro fertilization and the negative effects and unintended consequences with that (bill), and that was very problematic for myself,” Zaun told reporters after Wednesday’s committee meeting. “And so that’s why I pulled the bill.”


With that action, the bill essentially is ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the 2024 legislative session. However, legislative leaders in the majority party — which in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature is Republicans — have tools and tricks at their disposal to resurrect any “dead” bills if they choose.


In vitro fertilization is a fertility treatment by which a woman’s egg is combined with a man’s sperm in a medical lab, and then planting those embryos in the women’s uterus.


Critics have warned the proposed legislation could have made IVF illegal because as part of the process, extra embryos are sometimes frozen, stored or discarded. They argued the bill does not sufficiently exempt fertility treatments.

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, talks May 22, 2022, with House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, right, at his desk in the Iowa House chambers at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
During debate in the Iowa House, Republicans insisted the bill, House File 2575, would not impact fertility treatments, and that its focus specifically was on the crime of nonconsensual termination of a pregnancy. The bill passed out of the House on a 58-36 vote, with only Republicans supporting it


On Wednesday, Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters that House Republicans believed the bill would not have impacted fertility treatments, and that comparisons to issues that have arisen after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in that state are not applicable to Iowa because of differences in the states’ constitutions.


The Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Alabama legislators, facing push back after treatments were stopped at some of that state’s largest fertility clinics, rushed pass a bill this month shielding doctors from legal liability because of the court opinion.






Holt said that he understood the concerns raised about the Iowa bill’s potential impact.


“I understand the concerns about IVF,” Holt said. “We did not necessarily believe that there was an issue related to IVF, but I understand the concerns there. …


“I believe life begins at conception. I also think we have to come to terms with how we’re going to deal with the IVF issue. So I understand the concerns there.”

Hillary used bleach bit …. which is an acid that will destroy anything within 10 miles.

WTAF?

But Joe is old.

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