Des Moines, IA—An Iowa House subcommittee Wednesday advanced a measure that would place additional medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortions in Iowa.
The bill, HF2119, requires that abortion pills be dispensed in a health care setting, meaning Iowans wouldn’t be able to receive them via mail or prescription. Iowa already requires patients have an ultrasound before an abortion and receive the first of a two-pill medication abortion regimen at a health care provider’s office. Nearly 80 percent of the 4,057 abortions in Iowa in 2020 were medication abortions, up from the previous year when they accounted for 68 percent of all abortions in the state, according to the Iowa Department of Human Services.
There is overwhelming evidence that medication abortion is safe and effective for virtually anyone to wants to end an early pregnancy, with a safety record of over 99%. Research has shown that providing medication abortion via today’s updated telehealth technology is just as safe and effective as care delivered in person; each patient is supported with 24-hour access to their care provider for any questions or concerns they may have.
“HF2119 provides no medical benefit and is nothing more than a poorly veiled attempt by politicians to further limit access to safe and legal abortion in Iowa,” said Jamie Burch Elliott, Public Affairs Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. “Medication abortion has been safely and legally used in the U.S. since the FDA approved its use more than 20 years ago. It has helped expand access to abortion, especially in rural areas, enabling more people to make the private medical decisions that best fits their individual circumstance. Iowans deserve more access to health care, not less.”
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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa (PPAI) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission of fostering and preserving a social and political climate favorable to reproductive health. To meet this mission, PPAI engages in lobbying, issues education, and supporter mobilization.
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