Got this email from Progress Iowa Wednesday afternoon July 5th. Certainly the the irony that Independence Day was just the day before was not lost on most of those who received this email:

Roland Martin blows a fuse on “pro-life” BS (18:30 but pretty much done at 16:00)

What people speculated about for the past two weeks or so since the Iowa Supreme Court failed to rubber stamp Reynolds highly restrictive abortion bill that has been on hold for a few years. As expected. Reynolds has decided to call the Iowa legislature into special session to take the right of women to control their reproductive lives and put it into the hands of extremist right wing Republican politicians. 

So what is so critical that this legislation couldn’t wait a few months until the regular legislative session in January? While those who want to control women’s reproductive lives for them would probably claim they need to step in before another life is lost.

As someone who looks behind every statement that such extremists make, my take would be that those in the legislature who plan to take away women’s rights need to have as much space between their vote to take away rights and the next election. The extremists hope that Iowans who believe that women should control their own bodies will forget about their votes the longer the gap is between that vote and the election.

That was the basic reason why Governor Reynolds wanted the Supreme Court to rule that her restrictive bill would become law. If the Supreme Court decided that the restrictive abortion bill was law, extremist legislators would not have to answer for their vote. But now legislators will have to vote in public and be ready to defend their votes in next years elections. So in their thinking better to put a few extra months in between their vote and the election for Iowans to have collective amnesia.

But Iowans won’t have collective amnesia. Thanks to Reynolds decision to call a special session, there will be an extra hot spotlight on the legislators. The other person who will remember how each Republican legislator  votes is Governor Reynolds herself. Given her history of primarying legislators who didn’t vote her way you can bet she will be hanging that threat over every Republican legislator.

Given that female reproductive rights are favored by some 62% of all Iowans, Reynolds will put Republican legislators in an interesting vice – vote against Reynolds and get primaried or vote with Reynolds and very possibly lose the general. They also have the burden of the highly unpopular privatizing of the school system to defend to voters as those voters watch their vaunted school system slowly get dismantled.

So Reynolds is using a Donald Trump move to get her way on abortion. She is not up for election, so it doesn’t affect her.

As we watch the religious right impose their religion on the state, remember there will be real world consequences. Expect doctors to leave the state not to be replaced. Even in right wing world politicians are not a replacement for real doctors – or nurses.

Iowa women will die. Women are already dying across the country where extremist laws have been enacted. We do not know yet what the bill that is put forward will look like, but I think it would be a good guess that there will be extreme punishment both for those seeking an abortion and those providing abortions.

The bottom line here is that a bunch of cowardly politicians are being called to Des Moines at our expense to force their religious beliefs on the state of Iowa. I have written about the religious background of the anti-abortion laws previously. Strategists in the Republican Party who couldn’t care less about abortion took up the cause to get evangelicals to vote for their party. 

Once this is passed, as I am sure it probably will given the lack of spines on the Republican side, I think you can safely plan that highly restrictive bills on contraception will be right behind in the pipeline.

As noted in the Roland Martin video above extremist Republicans are only interested in births – they care little about the lives of the children born.

The sordid and cynical history of this issue and its links to racism is told here by historian Randall Balmer. 

I have a feeling that Reynolds very cynical move will backfire on her like an old Model T with Iowans banging at their legislators openly about their votes to restrict women’s reproductive rights.  Gen Xers, Gen Zers and parents of those in their reproductive years want access to reproductive services.

Let me add a reminder that there will be a protest as the special session commences Tuesday at 8AM at the capitol. Please try to make it.