Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice Iowa Speaks Out Against Proposed Constitutional Amendment Seeking to Ban Abortion in the State
NARAL Pro-Choice Iowa Speaks Out Against Proposed Constitutional Amendment Seeking to Ban Abortion in the State
For Immediate Release: February 4, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
IOWA – Iowa Republicans in the House are today debating a proposed constitutional amendment (HSB577), which would roll back the right to access abortion in the state. Republicans are trying to sneak through discussion of the amendment by scheduling the hearing the morning after the biggest day in Iowa politics, the presidential caucus. This extreme measure is dramatically out of step with Iowans’ values and belief that decisions about pregnancy should be made by a woman, not politicians.
NARAL Pro-Choice America National Communications Director Kristin Ford released the following statement:
“Anti-choice Republicans in Iowa are trying to steamroll Iowans with their extreme agenda, attempting to roll back access to abortion by changing the state constitution. Every Iowan must be able to decide if, how, and when to grow a family. Iowans overwhelmingly support protecting the right to access abortion and believe that politicians have no place interfering in personal decisions best left up to a woman with the support of those she loves and trusts. Iowa is ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom, and NARAL Iowa members will continue to take politicians to task for attacking our fundamental freedoms.”
SJR2001, the corresponding Senate version of the bill which passed out of the Senate State Government committee earlier this year, proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Iowa that would declare that there is “no right to an abortion” in the state.
In 2019, NARAL held Reproductive Freedom Town Halls in Iowa with leading Democratic presidential candidates Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, along with former candidates Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Kamala Harris, Secretary Julian Castro, Congressman Tim Ryan, and Governor Jay Inslee.
It’s clear that abortion is a critical issue to caucus-goers and voters in Iowa. Abortion and reproductive freedom remain a top issue for Iowa caucus-goers. When researching presidential candidates, “abortion” was among the top two most-searched issues in Iowa over the past week, according to Google Trends. Similarly, 8 out of 10 likely Democratic caucus-goers call support for abortion rights a “must-have” for any candidate they would support, according to a recent CNN poll.
Americans are aligned in their support for reproductive freedom and Roe v. Wade is more popular than ever. The vast majority of Americans (including Republicans!) support the landmark Supreme Court ruling, and there is no state in the country where banning abortion is popular.
###
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”