Des Moines, Iowa—Less than one-third of Iowans support a constitutional amendment stripping people of their right to safe and legal abortion, according to a newly released Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll. Additionally, 57 percent of political independents oppose the measure, and only 55 percent of Republicans support the measure, showing the bipartisan support for keeping abortion safe and legal in Iowa.
A majority of Catholics and Protestants oppose amending the state constitution. Plus, 81 percent of those not identifying with a religion also oppose the amendment. More Iowans disapprove of the measure than a year ago, when lawmakers failed to pass it out of the Iowa House.
“This new poll shows us what we already knew,” said Jamie Burch Elliott, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. “Iowans of all political beliefs want to keep abortion safe and legal. Politicians in Des Moines are trying to politicize reproductive health care to achieve a narrow agenda that only a few support. Iowans are demanding their representatives listen to them and stop any attempts to change the state constitution eliminating the right to abortion.”
The Iowa House passed the measure this legislative session, and it is now awaiting a full Senate vote. Both chambers of the Legislature must pass the legislation before the end of the 2022 session. They must then pass it a second time by the end of the 2024 session before it goes to voters on the ballot in November 2024.
Iowans are speaking up against the proposed amendment and have sent more than 1,500 emails to legislators, voicing their opposition to this attack on the right to safe, legal abortion. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa also launched a five-figure paid advertising statewide campaign sharing experiences of Iowa women before abortion was safe and legal.
Many Iowa organizations have registered their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment, including the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, ACLU of Iowa, Iowa Medical Society, League of Women Voters of Iowa and One Iowa.
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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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