Republican Lawmaker Says She Will Seek a Total Ban on Abortion; Legislators Already Introduced a Medication Abortion Ban that Would Eliminate Nearly 80% of Abortions in Iowa
Des Moines, IA—Iowa politicians announced this week that they plan to introduce a ban on all abortions this legislative session. The announcement comes after multiple politicians have already signed on to a bill that would ban all medication abortions in Iowa, which account for nearly 80% of abortions in the state in 2020
Ten lawmakers in the Iowa House recently introduced and cosponsored HF146, which would ban 79% of abortions in Iowa by making it a felony to manufacture, distribute, prescribe, dispense, sell or transfer medication abortion pills in Iowa. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $13,660. Medication abortions are safe and effective with fewer than 1% of patients having complications. The FDA recently loosened restrictions allowing patients to be prescribed the two-dose regimen without an in-person visit.
Medication abortion is a two-dose regimen that includes two different medicines. Patients take the first pill at their doctor’s office and follow it with a second medication that can be taken at home within 48 hours of the first dose.
Rep. Luana Stoltenberg, R-Davenport, went a step further this week, promising to introduce a total ban on abortions during a rally at the Iowa Capitol. Sen. Kevin Alons, a Republican from Salix, also echoed support for outlawing abortion at conception.
“Banning abortion at any stage of pregnancy denies a person the fundamental right to control their own body and health care decisions,” said Mazie Stilwell, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. “Abortion bans take away people’s power over their lives and their futures and gives control to politicians and judges. Politicians should not be in the exam room with a patient and doctor to decide what medical care is best for them. Politicians should not be controlling how many children Iowans have or deciding if a patient’s health is in danger. Doctors and patients make those decisions.”
As elected officials work to strip their constituents of their right to abortion, they want to quadruple taxpayer funding for anti-abortion centers, commonly called crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), that they are trying to sell as legitimate alternatives to medical care. In reality, CPCs are fake health centers that use dangerous, false and misleading tactics to keep people from having an abortion. They are not medically licensed or regulated.
Funding for anti-abortion centers flows through the costly MOMS program that lawmakers created last legislative session. The program is modeled after a similar one in Texas crafted by the now Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services when she served as deputy health commissioner in Texas. Funding for the Texas program ballooned from $5 million in 2005 to more than $100 million this current fiscal year. Iowa lawmakers introduced a measure to increase funding for Iowa’s program from $500,000 to $2 million, despite not having any publicly released results.
“For now, abortion remains safe and legal in Iowa. But it’s hanging by a thread and politicians in power are working hard to take away our rights, health care, and power over our bodies and futures. Make no mistake. We will stand beside Iowans—a growing majority of whom support keeping abortion safe and legal—and fight these bans every step of the way,” Stilwell added.
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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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