Passages from a number of books that could be considered “obscene” under an enhanced legal definition of the word were read at an Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing on Thursday, including an excerpt from the Bible.
Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa Action, read the story of Lot and his daughters from the Old Testament during the hearing. The passage came from Genesis 19 in which Lot’s two daughters made him drunk with wine so they could sleep with him without his consent to maintain their family line.
“It contains rape, it contains incest, it contains many other difficult subjects, but I think the Bible belongs on school shelves because I don’t think it’s because that this story is in the Bible that the Bible is about rape or incest or none of these other things,” Crow said.
“That is why we have the task of taking the work as a whole and examining its literary, scientific or other value.”
The hearing was over SF-2198a bill introduced by Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman (R-Adel) that led the charge on banning the books and found ways to prosecute Iowa educators who aren’t agree with his definition of obscenity.
Chapman’s far-reaching bill covers everything from civil litigation to how long a teacher would be jailed for assigning certain books to removing legal immunity from county prosecutors for failing to act in a timely manner on obscene material cases.
It also punishes teachers and administrators for assigning reading material considered obscene, which Chapman uses interchangeably with “hardcore pornography” in the bill.
Crow’s comments were meant to prove to lawmakers that the Bible, which they say is in school libraries, contains a number of items that could fit Chapman’s definition.
“I don’t believe there is pornography in our schools today and therefore I don’t believe we need to crack down on pornography that isn’t in our schools,” Crow said. .
Chapman’s crusade against the books began in the fall when some parents began showing up at school board meetings in suburban Des Moines to complain about books written by people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ community.
Chapman, and others who favored his bill, argued during the hearing that his bill was not intended to attack teachers or denigrate marginalized communities. He said it was about parental rights. Opponents of the bill, including the Iowa Library Association and the Iowa Association of School Boards, noted that parents can already be involved in education in many ways.
State Sen. Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig), who served on the subcommittee, echoed Crow’s biblical argument. He called it an “absolutely ridiculous connection”.
“The Bible, I believe, should actually be in schools if the school wants it,” Schultz said. “It is a book for adults intended to be taught to their children by parents.”
An independent bill to create a public Bible course in high schools is being considered in the Iowa House.
State. Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale), another member of the subcommittee and who has previously threatened to have teachers arrested, spoke in favor of the bill. Zaun also said it was about fighting for parents’ right to review material, which they can already do in Iowa.
He also said Chapman’s bill does not affect teachers, although the bill specifically mentions that teachers are legally prosecuted and opens them up to civil suits.
“It’s about parents,” Zaun said, slapping his hands on the tabletop. “I think we learned a lesson in Virginia. The parents stood up and said they had had enough.
by Ty Rushing
02/10/22
