Iowa lawmakers are advancing a “Women’s Bill of Rights” protecting women from men identifying as women.
Iowa’s HSB 649 would define “men” and “women” in law based on biology and codify the definition of “sex” as “a person’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth.”
The bill continues:
A “female” is a person whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova and a “male” is a person whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.
The bill is designed to prohibit men from entering women’s spaces like dressing rooms, locker rooms and domestic violence shelters – even if they claim they are a woman.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds published a post on X, explaining what the “Women’s Bill of Rights” would do.
It’s not controversial. It’s common sense. Women’s spaces belong to women! pic.twitter.com/J6WcMOYWUh
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) February 6, 2024
The Iowa House of Representatives’ Education Committee recommended the bill 15-8 on Feb. 6, sending the bill to the full House for consideration.
Gov. Reynolds issued a press release on Feb 1. regarding HSB 649.
“Women and men are not identical; they possess unique biological differences. That’s not controversial, it’s common sense,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Just like we did with girls’ sports, this bill protects women’s spaces and rights afforded to us by Iowa law and the constitution.”
The governor added:
It’s unfortunate that defining a woman in code has become necessary to protect spaces where women’s health, safety, and privacy are being threatened like domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. The bill allows the law to recognize biological differences while forbidding unfair discrimination.
Denise Bubeck serves as the Deputy Director of The FAMiLY Leader’s Church Ambassador Network. The FAMiLY Leader is a Focus on the Family-allied state family policy council based in Iowa. Bubeck thanked Gov. Reynolds for choosing to “stand up for women and clearly define the term.”
“I’m in hope that this bill will help us move in the right direction because without it, we are losing single-sex spaces and resources, including locker rooms, athletics, and even prisons and domestic violence shelters,” she said. “And these things are happening without the benefit of debate and transparency.”
As usual, many mainstream media outlets misinformed the public about the bill, and previous actions that the Iowa legislature has taken to protect women.
For example, Iowa Public Radio said that in recent years, the GOP-majority legislature “has prevented transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.”
But there is no such thing as “transgender women” – there are only men and women, even if someone from either sex is confused about their gender. Referring to “transgender women” as “women” makes it sound like real women are being prohibited from participating in female athletics.
But the legislature did no such thing – it blocked men from competing against real women. It’s as simple as that.
For a society to survive, men and women must be recognized as real and objective realities. Because without the union of men and women, and their creation of children within marriage, society will cease to exist.
It’s good that Iowa is getting closer to recognizing that in law, as in biology, men and women are different.
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Transgenderism and Minors: What Does the Research Really Show?
Do Not Fall for the ‘Affirm Them or They Will Die’ Lie
Utah Governor Signs Bill Protecting Women’s Spaces
Photo from Getty Images.