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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Iowa’s six week abortion ban has been in effect three months

Planned Parenthood officials say they do not yet know how many Iowans have sought abortions out of state after Iowa’s ban on most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy took effect July 29.

“Quite a few of my patients in Minnesota and Nebraska are from Iowa,” Dr. Sarah Traxler, medical director of Planned Parenthood of North Central States, said during an online news conference. “We do anticipate partner organizations that really focus on the data of abortion care will be releasing data soon so that we can actually measure the impact of this ban in Iowa.”

Iowa is among four states that ban most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. The Iowa law has exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or life of the mother. Holly Thomas, a patient navigator for Planned Parenthood, said she has “personally helped” 750 women in the past three months, and “the majority” were from Iowa.

“II recently worked with a patient who needed to be seen out of state. She chose to go to a nearby state, but didn’t have any transportation,” Thomas said. “We worked with volunteer pilots who were able to fly her to the location and once there, we provided her with a hotel room and gift cards for food and ride shares to get her to the airport.”

Planned Parenthood closed and consolidated some clinics in Iowa in the past year and has expanded its clinic in Omaha, Nebraska, where abortion is allowed up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Nebraska voters are being presented with two competing ballot initiatives on abortion this election.

Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates of Iowa, is a spokesperson for the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders. She noted it took six years to get the new Iowa abortion restrictions enforced after Governor Reynolds initially approved them in 2018. “I just feel very grateful and blessed that we live in a state where we are now moving forward with more protection for women and families in Iowa,” DeWitt said during an interview.

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