On Monday, an Iowa district judge blocked a law that required patients to observe a 24-hour waiting period before they could get an abortion. The law, passed in 2020, was declared unconstitutional by Judge Mitchell Turner. He ruled that the law not only violated a 2018 decision made by the Iowa Supreme Court that protects […]
Voting Rights Restored to Iowans with Felony Convictions
On Wednesday, Iowa ended its title as the only state in the nation to impose a lifetime voting ban on people with felony convictions when Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order restoring voting rights. The order automatically reinstated the right to vote to Iowans who have completed their felony sentences, excluding those convicted of […]
Pro-Choice Groups File Lawsuit Against Iowa’s 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period
Planned Parenthood and the ACLU filed a lawsuit asserting that an amendment passed by the Iowa legislature requiring a 24-hour abortion waiting period violates due process and equal protection clauses of the Iowa Constitution. The amendment requires that all those seeking an abortion wait at least 24-hours after their initial appointment with an abortion provider […]
Historic Wins for Women of Color Down the Ballot
On Tuesday, nine states and the District of Columbia held primary elections. These elections resulted in historic gains for women, particularly for women of color. In spite of current circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests, voter turnout was impressive and women candidates of color prevailed in primaries for Congress, state legislatures, and local […]
States Tell Workers Return to Work During Pandemic or Lose Unemployment Benefits
Some states, including Iowa and Texas, have begun to reopen their economies amidst the coronavirus pandemic and have warned residents that employees who refuse to return to their jobs will be ineligible for unemployment benefits. These policies force workers to decide between their health and unemployment insurance and could facilitate the spread of COVID-19. Congress […]
Healthcare Tops List of Iowa Voter Concerns
An exit poll from NBC News, CNN, and the Associated Press shows that healthcare is a top voter concern among Iowan Democrats; ranking ahead of issues like climate change or foreign policy. However, healthcare policy may not be the deciding factor of who people are going to vote for. According to Kimberly Leonard, senior healthcare […]
Anti-Trans Bill Dies in Iowa State House
A proposed bill that would have removed gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act will not advance in the state legislature. Rep. Steven Holt, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called the bill “dead” after deciding not to send it into subcommittee. Iowa law has prohibited discrimination based on gender identity since […]
‘Women Win’: Warren Takes on Gender in Final Stretch Before Iowa Caucuses
Presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has dealt with issues regarding gender since the beginning of her campaign for the 2020 presidency. She is candid about this, often explaining the various times she has been told to “smile more,” has been called “angry” by an opponent, or been the subject of questions as to whether she […]
Six-week Abortion Ban Bill Passes Mississippi Senate
On Tuesday, Mississippi senators passed, by vote 34-15, a 6-week abortion ban bill, which bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. If a physician performs an abortion before checking if there is a fetal heartbeat, or performs an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, the physician could have their medical license […]
Iowa State Will Not Seek Appeal to Fetal Heartbeat Court Ruling
Governor Reynolds of Iowa stated Monday that the government will not seek an appeal after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the “fetal heartbeat” law passed last May was unconstitutional. This unconstitutional law, if had it gone into effect, would have been one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the United States. Those against […]
Women Win Across the Country in 2018 Midterms
Women won more seats in Congress yesterday than ever before, with over 110 women elected, including the first Muslim women, first Native American women, and two women in their twenties. The women who were elected include the former Teacher of the Year, small business owners, former military helicopter pilots, activists, a former CIA officer, and […]
Representative Steve King Facing Tough Re-election because of White Nationalist ties
On Tuesday, Representative Steve Stivers, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, became the latest person to drop their support for Steve King, a Republican running re-election in Iowa’s 4th district, who has neo-Nazi ties and consistently makes explicitly racist statements. Representative Stivers tweeted out a statement denouncing King for his “recent comments, actions, and retweets,” […]
Iowa Heartbeat Abortion Ban Temporarily Blocked
On June 1, Polk County District Court Judge Michael Huppert temporarily blocked Iowa’s fetal heartbeat ban, SF 359, from going into effect until the case can make its way through the appropriate legal channels.
Iowa Supreme Court Hears Telemedicine Abortion Case
Telemedicine is the widely used practice of conferencing with a doctor through a video camera in order to diagnose or prescribe treatment to patients.
Iowa House Votes to Ban Telemedicine Abortion
Iowa’s telemedicine abortion program has been heralded as a safe and effective form of reproductive health care since its implementation five years ago, and allows women living in rural areas to obtain the medication without having to travel.
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Iowa Board of Health Bans Telemedicine Abortions
Iowa’s telemedicine abortion program allows women to consult with doctors through video technology before being prescribed the abortion-inducing pill.
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Conservative Stacked Board of Medicine Proposes “Telemedicine” Abortion Ban
On Tuesday the Iowa Board of Medicine proposed rules to ban the procedure known as ‘telemedicine abortion’, a medical practice that Planned Parenthood of the Heartlands has had in place since 2008. The Board�s decision was split 4 to 4, effectively allowing the motion to proceed.
