Republicans in the legislature are prioritizing a process that would override an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that Iowa women have a right to abortion. A proposed amendment to Iowa’s constitution cleared its first hurdle in the House yesterday.

Two Republicans on a House subcommittee voted to advance the proposal to the House Judiciary Committee.  Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames, the only Democrat on the subcommittee, says legislators should focus on other issues.

The process of amending Iowa’s constitution takes years and the proposed amendment discussed stalled in the House last June. That means 2024 is the earliest the amendment could be presented to voters for ratification or rejection.