In the recent U.S. Senate debate in Indianola between Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Joni Ernst the subject of Iowa Senate Joint Resolution 10, which proposed amending the Iowa Constitution with what has come to be called a "personhood" amendment, was raised by Braley.
In response to a question about federal laws and funding related to abortion, Braley directed attention to his opponent. "What I won't do is support the type of legislation that Sen. Ernst introduced in Iowa" that he said would have prevented certain forms of contraception, in vitro fertilization and resulted in the prosecution of doctors.
The resolution stated, "The inalienable right to life of every person at any stage of development shall be recognized and protected." Ernst was among 21 lawmakers who supported the resolution last year.
In Tuesday's editorial the Des Moines Register let Ernst know what they thought of her support of the amendment and her explanation for that support in the debate. Their dissemblance of her jaded and cynical posturing is bold and scathing.
Braley stated that the proposed amendment would prevent certain forms of contraception, in vitro fertilization and result in the prosecution of doctors.
Ernst attempted to defend her support of the amendment by saying it "would not do any of the things" Braley said it would do. "That amendment is simply a statement that I support life," she said. She said the consequences Braley cited could result "only if the legislation would be passed."
Ernst's logic here insults the intelligence of not only Iowa voters, but any discerning citizen who cares about a women's right to choose. Just because the amendment didn't pass doesn't mean she didn't want it to pass. That's kind of like saying you shouldn't be held accountable for shooting at someone because you missed. As the Register pointed out: "Wasn't that her intention, though, to try to pass the resolution when she voted for it?"
In a nutshell, a so-called "personhood" amendment seeks to provide a fetus with the same "right to life" as the rest of us. One does not have to think very hard to recognize the potential problems with that concept and to foresee the anxiety such an amendment could bring to our state.
The editorial's closing is a resounding indictment of Ernst's attempt to dismiss her actions as if they are of no consequence and shouldn't be a concern for Iowa voters trying to decide whom to support for Senate.
Ernst's assertion that a personhood amendment is "simply a statement that I support life" is naive. Amending the Iowa Constitution is a big deal. And it's a rare event, having been done fewer than 50 times since the constitution was adopted. A proposed amendment needs to be approved by both the Iowa House and Senate in two consecutive general assemblies and then approved by voters in the next general election.
Let's hope candidates seeking to represent our state and its residents understand that constitutional amendments are not simply personal statements from politicians that have no meaning or consequences in the real world.
And let's hope they understand the implications of amendments they say they want added to the document that is the foundation of life in Iowa today.
The Register's comments evidently got Ernst's attention, and the she canceled a scheduled meeting with their editorial board, citing the newspaper's recent negative editorials about the candidate.
The Register's president and publisher, Rick Green, said in a statement that he's disappointed by the Ernst campaign's decision.
"This has been an incredibly nasty, competitive race where both sides have spent millions and aired tens of thousands of TV spots," Green said. "Undecided voters I talk to want Sen. Ernst to break through the rhetoric and cacophony of campaign ads about hogs, Obamacare and balanced budgets. It's a time for sharing specifics. It's a chance to have a serious conversation about vision, priorities, the economy, national security, foreign relations and Social Security."
The Ernst campaign responded.
"Joni is barnstorming the state, visiting all 99 counties and talking face to face with voters about the issues they care about most. Recent editorials in The Des Moines Register make their position in this race perfectly clear, and it's one that many voters across our state seem to disagree with. With less than 12 days to go, time is precious and Joni wants to spend every minute talking to undecided voters, hearing their concerns, and demonstrating why we need a change in Washington."
Ernst also cancelled meetings with the editorial boards of several other Iowa newspapers, including the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. Jason Linkins points out in yesterday's
Huffington Post article that it is probably not the prospect of losing the endorsements but rather something else motivating her decisions to bail out on the appointments.
The larger truth of the matter is that Ernst, in her contest with Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley, has a good thing going, poll-wise, and the one thing that could cock it all up would be Ernst herself, saying things in front of reporters who then go on to report them. That the Ernst campaign might be assigning a higher likelihood to a foul-up than they are to Ernst persuading these newspaper editors to support her policy preferences is perhaps telling. But let's face it -- Ernst is hardly the first among American politicians to sniff the finish line and decide that the only thing to fear is them, themselves.
Last Sunday I made calls for Mark Udall, who is also facing tough competition from another "Personhood" nut job, Corey Gardner, and I am planning to make more calls for him this weekend. Now I think I'd better add
"make calls for Braley" to my "to do" list.