U.S. District Judge Charles Wolle ruled that the city of Bettendorf, Iowa cannot use zoning ordinances to block the construction of a Planned Parenthood clinic. In the third attempt by the city to stall construction of the abortion clinic, the judge also ruled that no zoning changes need to be made for construction to begin. Wolle claimed that the city’s obstruction violated the constitutional rights of Planned Parenthood and “women who would be served by plaintiff’s medical clinic.”
Bettendorf is part of the “Quad Cities,” the largest metropolitan area in the country without abortion services. The nearest abortion clinic is in Iowa City, 50 miles away.
National President of Planned Parenthood Gloria Feldt said the decision was a “triumph for the health needs of women in the Quad Cities and a defeat for those trying to use bureaucratic obstacles to deny women access to safe abortion service.”
