Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle says he will propose a law that would require the consent of a parent before a minor may obtain an abortion. But Nussle refuses to say what he’d do as governor if presented with an outright ban on abortions — similar to what passed this spring in South Dakota.
Nussle says the Iowa Legislature is “terribly split” on the abortion issue, and there’s no chance such a law would pass the legislature and wind up on the next governor’s desk. “I’m not going to speculate about that but I will propose something,” Nussle says. Nussle’s parental consent proposal would go one step further than current law, which requires that a parent be notified before an abortion may be performed on a minor — except in cases of incest or if a judge decides the teen has good reasons not to notify a parent.
Nussle says it is not “extreme” to pursue policies that will reduce the number of abortions. “Particularly because I think our quality of life and what we stand for here in Iowa is important,” Nussle says.
Nussle made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” which airs this evening and again on Sunday.