Under Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ leadership, less Iowans are on birth control and more Iowans have STIs without access to affordable sexual and reproductive healthcare
St. Paul, MN— Today, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is campaigning at an event in Minnesota with local political leadership. Gov. Reynolds has a long track record of decimating accessible and affordable sexual and reproductive health care.
Since Governor Reynolds took office, she has slashed sexual and reproductive health care. Because of her policies, thousands more Iowans are without access to contraception and are foregoing birth control, according to the new Guttmacher Institute Reproductive Health Impact Study. The result of the sharp decline in Iowans accessing reproductive health care comes as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are skyrocketing. Abortion rates also increased by 42% during the same two-year span. All combined, Iowa is slipping into an entirely preventable public health crisis.
Governor Kim Reynolds and her predecessor have appointed five state Supreme Court justices, building a strong majority against abortion access on the bench. Right now, all Iowa State Supreme Court justices have been appointed by governors who oppose abortion rights. This June, the Iowa Supreme Court eliminated state protections for abortion.
Statement from Tim Stanley, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund:
“Imagine what our world would be like if every time we talked about abortion or birth control or sex education, we centered on people instead of politics. If Minnesota politicians like Scott Jensen and Jim Schultz are looking up to Governor Reynolds’ leadership, Minnesotans’ rights and health care are in jeopardy. Governor Reynolds has brought her extreme ideology to the governor’s office and taken a sledgehammer to sexual and reproductive health care, and she’s stacked the state Supreme Court with judges who oppose abortion rights. Reynolds’ failed leadership shows us that health care is at stake if Scott Jensen and Jim Schultz are elected. Minnesotans need political leaders who support affordable and accessible health care, so that anyone can get the care they need, when they need it, right where they live. We must elect leaders like Governor Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison who support the right of every person to make decisions about their own body and will work to protect our rights.”
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Founded in 2003, the Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Political Action Fund (PPMPAF) is focused on electing reproductive and sexual health champions. The political work of PPMPAF helps Planned Parenthood North Central States care for its patients and educate the community by ensuring our elected in state and national legislatures will protect and strengthen access to patient-focused health care, increase access to inclusive, medically-accurate sexuality education, and support laws Minnesotans need to thrive.
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