Iowa House Bill HF2175

Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Filed/Introduced: 1/27/26
• Introduced: 1/27/26
• Refer: 1/27/26

Caption

A bill for an act relating to the purchase or sale of an individual including surrogate mother agreements, and making penalties applicable.

Summary

HF 2175 amends Iowa Code section 710.11, which makes it a class C felony to purchase, sell, or attempt to purchase or sell an individual. The bill creates an explicit exception for surrogate mother arrangements, but only when the surrogate receives no monetary consideration or anything of value for agreeing to be artificially inseminated, carry the child, and relinquish parental rights to another person or couple. The measure also defines “surrogate mother arrangement” for purposes of the statute as an agreement in which a woman is artificially inseminated with donor semen, bears a child, and relinquishes all rights to the donor or donor couple. In effect, the bill clarifies that uncompensated surrogacy is not treated as the criminal purchase or sale of a person under existing law, while leaving the underlying felony prohibition in place for other conduct covered by the statute.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would narrow the reach of Iowa’s human-trafficking-style prohibition on the purchase or sale of an individual by carving out a specific exception for uncompensated surrogacy. It would amend section 710.11 of the Iowa Code and preserve class C felony penalties for prohibited transactions, while excluding qualifying surrogate mother arrangements from criminal liability. The bill would affect intended parents, surrogates, and potentially prosecutors interpreting the boundary between unlawful sale of a person and lawful reproductive agreements.

Sentiment

The available context shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Judiciary Committee, but there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes provided. Based on the text, the bill appears to be a targeted clarification rather than a broad policy overhaul, suggesting a technical or definitional purpose. Because no debate or vote history is available, there is no documented public sentiment in the provided materials beyond the bill’s introduction and referral.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the line between prohibited “purchase or sale of an individual” and permissible surrogacy arrangements. Supporters would likely view the bill as clarifying that unpaid surrogacy should not be treated as criminal conduct, while critics could raise concerns about whether the definition is too narrow, whether it could be used to evade anti-trafficking protections, or whether the statute should address compensated surrogacy separately. No specific lawmakers or stakeholder groups are identified in the provided record.