On Oct. 5, the Iowa Legislature will reconvene in special session to work on redrawing the district lines for Iowa elections … and to save lives across three states.

Iowa State Sen. Mark Lofgren (R-Muscatine) is taking the opportunity of the special session to ask his Capitol colleagues to join the “Love Like Louden” campaign, which encourages blood donations to LifeServe, the sole blood provider to over 120 hospitals in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

At the 2021 Agape Pregnancy Center fundraising banquet, The FAMiLY Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats was honored to speak, sharing the story of his son Lucas, who was born with severe disabilities and who is the subject of Bob’s book, “Light from Lucas.”

“His life is having a dynamic impact,” Bob said of his son. “When people encounter Lucas, they’ll say, ‘I don’t know what it is, but I see the presence of God, I feel the presence of God, when I’m with this little boy.’”

Sixty Iowa legislators have signed on to an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief, calling on the Iowa Supreme Court to reverse its shocking 2018 Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds ruling, which declared abortion to be a “fundamental right” under the Iowa Constitution.

“[Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds] is demonstrably wrong, so this Court has a duty to overrule it,” the brief argues. “Nothing in Iowa’s Constitution’s text, structure, history, or tradition suggests abortion is a fundamental right.”

A poll of likely voters reveals support and opposition to the proposed Protect Life Amendment to the Iowa Constitution in a virtual tie – 45 to 47 percent, respectively, within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percent.

When asked whether Iowans “should be given the opportunity to vote on the amendment,” however, an overwhelming 84 percent of voters said yes.

Bob and Donna Red Wing were often quoted in the news media on opposite sides of contentious issues. Bob leads a Christian organization that advocates for public policy consistent with biblical values. Donna was a longtime LGBTQ activist and, in her own words, “a sometimes agitator.” They were natural “enemies” who became the most unlikely of friends.