This weekend, Iowa lawmakers approved a pro-life bill that requires women to have a 24-hour waiting period prior to an abortion, and will help women choose life.

Passed in the early hours on Sunday morning, the bill introduced a variety of pro-life measures that are designed to protect women from the coercive practices of the abortion industry. For example, in addition to the 24-hour waiting period before the abortion, the bill also requires that patients view the ultrasound and that they are given adoption information.

“Iowans want to see unborn lives protected,” Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said. “This bill is a big step in that direction.”

Waiting periods between the initial abortion appointment and the procedure itself are incredibly important and give women an opportunity to carefully consider their decision, something that the abortion lobby doesn’t want them to do.

It’s also a way to keep abortionists and abortion businesses in check.

Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood employee, shared in an upcoming Focus on the Family Broadcast (tenatively scheduled to air in late July) about how the abortion business would pressure women to have an abortion as soon as they confirmed that she was pregnant.

“If a woman comes in for a pregnancy test, and it’s positive, we’d say, ‘You know, how are you gonna pay for diapers? ‘Have you priced a car seat?’” Thayer said. “Fear—you know—fear-based stuff about, ‘You’re not gonna be able to take care of this baby. Let’s go ahead and get this set for you today, because if you wait any longer the price will go up.’ So, we would typically have that appointment in place before she left.”

If it’s the abortion pill, then that process could be administered in clinic that day if there is no required waiting period.

For Planned Parenthood clinics, there’s also a financial incentive to get as many abortions as possible.

“Abortion is really the bottom line, we had goals always for number of abortions and referrals done. If you didn’t hit it, you had to explain why you didn’t hit it and what you would do differently next month to hit your goal,” Thayer said.

Abby Johnson, another former employee of Planned Parenthood, shared, “If we met our goals, we got some sort of reward. So, as the manager, if we met our yearly financial goals, quotas, then I would get a very large bonus. I had been the person who had encouraged my staff to be aggressive.

Waiting periods, like the one enacted by Iowa, work to minimize some of this coercive practice.

When it comes to abortion, women deserve the time to carefully consider their decision and maybe reach out to family and friends who may be able to offer help and support. Women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy often feel stressed, conflicted and concerned about the future. They need care and encouragement, not an abortion business more interested in meeting monthly/yearly quotas to cushion their bottom line.