Politics
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Report: Majority of Iowa’s voucher recipients already went to private school
Two-thirds of students who received a private school voucher in Iowa this year were already enrolled in private school, according to new data from the Iowa Department of Education. The department released certified enrollment numbers—taken annually on Oct. 1—for public, private, and charter schools on Friday after about a month’s delay and the results were…
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Instead of fixing real issues, Iowa Republicans push 10 bills to discriminate against LGBTQ Iowans
We are less than a month into the 2024 Iowa Legislative Session and the Republicans in charge of Iowa’s state government have been busy— and by busy, we mean coming up with new ways to legally discriminate against LGBTQ Iowans. As Iowans struggle with stagnant wages, budget shortfalls in public schools, worsened water quality, higher…
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All the anti-abortion bills introduced by Iowa Republicans this year
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…
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Meet the nonprofit director promoting birth control access in Iowa
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…
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Study: 65,000 rape-caused pregnancies in states with abortion bans
“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.
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Iowa could be the first state to strip trans people of civil rights
Iowa could become the first state in the country to repeal civil protections for transgender people under a new bill from Rep. Jeff Shipley (R-Fairfield), who has regularly used his office to target trans people’s rights. Over the years, Iowa Republicans have introduced multiple bills to remove gender identity as a protected class under Iowa’s…
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VIDEOS: Iowans share personal experiences with anti-abortion centers
Mica Chase, a Cedar Rapids resident, details their experience being shamed and misled at an anti-abortion center. @iowastartingline Mica Chase, a Cedar Rapids resident, details their experience being shamed and misled at an anti-abortion center. Chase and other Iowans delivered their testimonies at a subcommittee meeting for a Republican-backed bill to make public funding more…
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Iowa bill would let public schools hire unlicensed chaplains… but unintended consequences may arise
Iowa Republican lawmakers advanced a bill out of a subcommittee Tuesday that would allow public school districts to hire chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs for students.” But while the lawmakers heavily implied this was about Christian services coming into public schools, others pointed out that it could just as easily open the door…
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New Iowa bill places extreme restrictions on abortion pill access, adds scare tactics and felony convictions
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,…
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Iowan speaks out against anti-abortion centers: ‘I thought it was legitimate’
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…
