Des Moines, IA— Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa PAC (PPAI PAC) today launched its 2024 electoral campaign to put reproductive health care champions in office and restore Iowans’ control over their bodies and futures.
PPAI PAC is investing $250,000 in Iowa this election cycle—more than double what it spent in the 2022 election—to build towards a pro-reproductive freedom majority at the statehouse. Voters will be reached through volunteer-powered door-knocking and phone-banking programs and a robust digital ad series ahead of the 2024 election. Iowans need to know if they are represented by politicians who believe they are more qualified to make the personal medical decisions of their constituents.
“Make no mistake—abortion is on the ballot in Iowa,” said Mazie Stilwell, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa PAC. “The legislators who voted to put themselves in the exam rooms of their constituents will be held accountable come November. Iowans deserve elected leaders who will restore and protect their rights and freedom. We should control our bodies and futures, but that’s not the reality we are living in. The only way to change this reality is at the ballot box. This November, Iowans have the power to reclaim the rights stolen from them by voting out the power-hungry politicians who dismissed their constituents and passed the near-total abortion ban. Enough is enough—anti-choice politicians are too extreme for our state, and Iowans won’t tolerate their egregious power grabs.”
The campaign, called “We Decide,” comes on the heels of the implementation of a law banning abortion as early as six weeks that Republican lawmakers passed in July 2023 during an unprecedented one-day special session. The court immediately issued an injunction preventing the law from taking effect. A June ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court, however, lifted the injunction, allowing the ban to take effect.
Iowa differs from other states that have protected abortion through ballot measures in that only legislators can put a constitutional amendment before voters. State law does not allow for voter-led initiatives.
“We know there is a path forward in restoring Iowans’ reproductive rights and health care. It will take time, but we are in this for the long haul. We are doubling down in our investment, because we know a growing majority of Iowans are with us. Regardless of our personal beliefs, we can all agree that every person deserves the freedom to make the health care choices that are best for them, their families, and their futures,” Stilwell said.
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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa (PPAI) PAC, established in 1998, is an independent, nonpartisan political action committee focused on supporting candidates for state and local office who are steadfast in their support for women’s health, health care access, and reproductive rights.
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