Iowa legislator
In what should have been a busy week where Iowans finally learned where more than $8 billion of their tax dollars will get spent next year, the Governor and GOP leaders are still arguing behind closed doors. We’re still waiting to see more details on the state budget and there haven’t been any updates on a tax deal that everyone keeps hearing is in the works.
With the lack of progress made this week, it’s been frustrating for so many at the State Capitol. It’s even more frustrating for school leaders trying to plan for next year, health care providers, and Iowans counting on us to lower costs as they struggle to pay their bills.
The biggest news of the week actually came in the ongoing fight for reproductive freedom.
On Thursday, the Iowa Supreme Court held oral arguments on the Iowa GOP’s six-week abortion ban that passed last summer in a special session. They’ll be handing down a decision sometime between now and the end of June. If they uphold the law and lift the injunction, a six-week ban could take effect right away.
While the court works on its ruling, abortion in Iowa is still legal for up to 20 weeks.
Nationally, the reproductive freedom battle also took some big twists and turns this week. In Arizona, a controversial court ruling put a strict abortion ban in place based on a law passed back in 1864, before Arizona was a state and before women could even vote. The shocking ruling, which is wildly out of step with the strong majority of Americans (and Iowans) who support reproductive freedom, sent GOP politicians and insiders reeling for a rational, cohesive response.
On one side, the former president and some DC politicians recognize the Arizona ruling puts their political power at risk. Since most Americans support reproductive freedom, they recognize the strict ban in Arizona makes it tough to win elections. They want to hide their past support for abortion bans to gain power. On the other side, special interests that wield big power and other GOP politicians saw the Arizona ruling as a huge victory in their fight to ban all abortion without any exceptions at all. It’s been their goal for decades.
Here’s why they are both wrong: a strong majority of Americans in red and blue states don’t support strict abortion bans. They support reproductive freedom. They are tired of politicians interfering in their lives and they believe everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions. They are fed up with politicians who aren’t listening and they see right through the political game being played by these GOP insiders.
The Arizona case sends an important message to us in Iowa. It proves yet again that the special interest groups and politicians – including those running our State Capitol right now – will stop at nothing to ban all abortion, including some kinds of birth control and even ending IVF for folks trying to start a family.
Regardless of how the Iowa Supreme Court rules in the next few months, we know the fight for reproductive rights will not be over.
There’s only one way to stop the relentless attacks on our reproductive rights once and for all in Iowa: protect reproductive freedom in Iowa’s Constitution. The process to get it done is not easy or quick, but we’ve already introduced legislation to get it going. The Iowa Legislature should pass it and let the people of Iowa vote on it.
That’s people over politics.
Submitted by By Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those shared by NIT. To submit an opinion, email to NORTHIOWATODAY@GMAIL.COM
