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Senate approves narrow terminology change in criminal code replacing 'pregnant person' with 'pregnant female' in four sections

Iowa Senate · April 1, 2026

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Summary

House file 22 53, sponsored on the floor by Senator Westrich, updates terminology in four code sections—relating to feticide, assault causing miscarriage, and similar offenses—replacing 'pregnant person' with 'pregnant female'; the bill passed the Senate following final reading.

Senator Westrich (Senator from Wafula) presented House file 22 53 as a "simple targeted terminology update" that replaces the phrase "pregnant person" with "pregnant female" in four specific sections of Iowa Code concerning serious crimes, including feticide, assault causing miscarriage, and injury to a pregnant mother. Sponsor comments framed the change as a clarification to make application easier for prosecutors, judges and juries.

There was no recorded floor debate challenging the substance of the change; the senator stood on his opening comments, moved the bill for final reading and passage, and the clerk recorded the roll-call result and the bill was declared passed (reported as I 40, nay 6). The title was agreed to and the bill was ordered messaged to the House by unanimous consent.

The transcript records the sponsor's justification for the terminology change but does not include stakeholder testimony or fiscal notes on the floor.