REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

After years of attacks on reproductive freedom, Iowa Senate Democrats are challenging the extremism by introducing bills to honor Iowan’s wishes and protect reproductive healthcare rights. In a Tuesday press conference, Senate Democrats announced a package of bills similar to a suite of bill introduced by Iowa House Democrats in March 2023. Sen. Pam Jochum…

Despite abortion being a losing issue for Republicans across the country, Iowa Republicans in the statehouse have decided to double down on pushing anti-abortion policies. Last year, several anti-abortion bills were introduced, and a July special session led to the implementation of a near-total abortion ban. That ban is currently blocked by a temporary injunction…

Allison Smith’s outlook on birth control access completely changed when Donald Trump was elected in 2016. “I think around that time there was some really concerning rhetoric,” she said. At the time, Smith lived in Minneapolis and worked in health care administration at Whitecap Health Advisors.   “There were major concerns about what [President Trump and…

“Thousands of girls and women in states that banned abortion experienced rape-related pregnancy, but few (if any) obtained in-state abortions legally, suggesting that rape exceptions fail to provide reasonable access to abortion for survivors,” the study stated.

A new bill introduced by Iowa House Republicans would severely limit access to abortion medications through a 19-step process—including making them illegal to receive in the mail—and create an electronic record of who received the pill and the medical personnel involved in the process. HF 2122 was introduced by Republican representatives Tom Determann of Clinton,…

For two hours, staff at an anti-abortion center told Mica Chase—then 19 years old—they would go to Hell for having an abortion. The staff also said the abortion could kill them (abortion is incredibly safe) and that the staff would do anything to help Chase keep a pregnancy they had already decided they weren’t ready…

During Tuesday’s event, the president and vice president highlighted several new measures the administration is taking to strengthen reproductive health care access, criticized extreme abortion bans, and highlighted the stakes of the 2024 election for reproductive rights.

Rep. Jon Dunwell (R-Newton) introduced a bill Wednesday to loosen requirements for the More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program, which would funnel $2 million from Iowa taxpayers to anti-abortion centers in the state. For two years, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has failed to find a party to manage the…

In Missouri, Republicans have introduced bills to charge women who have abortions with murder, while in Texas, a mom was forced to flee the state to get an abortion in order to protect her own health—situations made possible by Donald Trump and the repeal of Roe v. Wade.