DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- Iowa lawmakers are drafting a bill similar to a more restrictive abortion law in Nebraska to keep a Nebraska abortion doctor from opening a clinic in the state.
A new Nebraska law bans abortions after 20 weeks gestation, except to save the mother's life. The Des Moines Register says the law led Dr. LeRoy Carhart to announce plans to open a clinic in Council Bluffs. Iowa law prohibits abortion after the sixth month of pregnancy.
Several anti-abortion lawmakers in Iowa say they're motivated by Carhart's announcement and the gains Republicans made during the mid-term election.
House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen say such a bill will likely get close consideration.
Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, a Democrat, says it's too early to know where the Senate stands on such a bill.
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