By Jeanne Liston, North Liberty I dodged a bullet, twice. In the late sixties I was eighteen weeks pregnant when I began leaking amniotic fluid. My doctor hospitalized me immediately and started an IV of Pitocin to induce labor. He knew, as did I, that if I continued the pregnancy without the barrier of amniotic […]
Abortion
Posted inCommunity/News
Planned Parenthood workers in Iowa and four other states vote to unionize
Healthcare workers at Planned Parenthood in Iowa and four other states voted overwhelmingly to unionize, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced last week. Ninety percent of the 264 workers who cast ballots during the three-week-long election period voted in favor of the union. The unionization drive began last summer, when workers connected with the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We can do better, because we’ve done better’: Deidre DeJear on Iowa’s future, LGBTQ rights, abortion access and legalizing cannabis
“I just want to get back to basics,” Deidre DeJear told the people gathered on the fifth floor patio of the Chauncey on Thursday evening, in response to a question about what her first three priorities would be if elected governor. The Democratic nominee named funding public education, guaranteeing the right to choose an abortion […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘This is not the end. The end is when we win’: Thousands rally at the Iowa State Capitol for abortion rights
“All of us are here today to stand in solidarity with all of you, as we stand with child-bearing people all over the country,” Luana Nelson-Brown told the more than 2,000 people gathered on the West Terrace of the Iowa State Capitol on Sunday afternoon for the Iowans for Reproductive Justice Rally. Nelson-Brown is the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Emma Goldman Clinic’s founding mothers reflect on ‘the beauty of choice,’ half a century of Roe and the future of abortion care
Deb Nye was 23 when she heard the news: The Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade had just affirmed a person’s right to choose to have an abortion. It was late January 1973, and light snow covered the ground. She ran two blocks to the University of Iowa College of Law building, crossing over […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Supreme Court rejects key part of Gov. Reynolds’ attempt to impose further abortion restrictions
The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to reconsider its recent abortion decision, keeping in place its instruction to a lower court to use the “undue burden standard” to determine if abortion restrictions violate the rights of Iowans guaranteed by the state constitution. Reynolds’ petition for a rehearing of a case regarding […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Four empowering Fourth of July events in Des Moines
The United States traditionally celebrates Independence Day with fireworks, parades and outdoor cooking — but this year, millions of Americans fearing for the preservation of democracy may find it hard to celebrate. Here are four things you can do this Fourth weekend while nurturing yourself and your community. Stars, Stripes, & Reproductive Rights Monday, July […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Gov. Reynolds won’t ask lawmakers to outlaw abortion yet, will try to get the courts to do that
Gov. Kim Reynolds said on Wednesday she’s waiting until state courts decide whether to revive a never-enforced 2018 law banning almost all abortions in Iowa, before she’ll announce if there will be a special session of the Iowa Legislature this year to further restrict reproductive rights. The so-called “fetal heartbeat bill” was struck down as […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Iowa City-area clergy recognize the sacred right to choose an abortion
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a person’s right to choose an abortion and maintain bodily autonomy is not a protected right under the U.S. Constitution. As a group of local clergy persons representing various traditions and communities, we maintain that a pregnant person’s right to choose an abortion is a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Kim Reynolds announces plans to severely restrict abortion in Iowa
Four days after the U.S. Supreme Court discarded half a century of established legal precedent to end constitutional protection for the right to an abortion, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she’s taking action to almost completely ban abortion in Iowa. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision reaffirms that states have the right to protect the innocent and […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Community/News
Man drives his truck into protesters marching for abortion rights in Cedar Rapids
A man drove his pickup truck into protesters crossing a street in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. This happened at the end of a march in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade and eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion, as protesters who had gathered for a rally and march […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Watch: Hundreds protest Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Iowa City
“I want to encourage you to gain strength and purpose from this collective body here today,” Francine Thompson, executive director of the Emma Goldman Clinic, told the hundred gathered at the Pentacrest on Friday night, June 24. “Because we have a long, hard fight ahead of us.” The protest in response to the Republican-appointed majority […]
