By Grace Carr, The Stream - The Iowa Senate voted Wednesday to pass a bill banning abortions if an unborn child’s heartbeat is detected upon ultrasound, moving Iowa one step closer to becoming the first state to ban abortions... Iowa lawmakers voted 30 to 20 Wednesday for Senate Bill 3143, which outlaws abortion upon the presence of a fetal heartbeat. A heartbeat typically becomes detectable between six and nine weeks gestation.