When Iowa students return to school later this month, they may notice books, including important works of literature, have disappeared from library shelves, and younger students will find certain topics can no longer be discussed in their classrooms. That’s because on Friday, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the preliminary […]
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Posted inCommunity/News
The world reacts to Iowa’s abortion ban, from Kamala Harris to local OB-GYNs: ‘Women will be harmed and die because of this law’
“Make no mistake: half of the state is less free today than they were yesterday because of Republicans in the legislature and Kim Reynolds,” Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said on Monday. “There’s just no other way to look at it.” The Windsor Heights Democrat was speaking about the state’s near-total abortion ban, which […]
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‘We now live in a reality where politicians have control over Iowans’ bodies’: Planned Parenthood shares plans to mitigate harm caused by ‘reckless ban’
Iowa has entered a “devastating and dark” moment in its history, Dr. Sarah Traxler said on Friday. Traxler, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), was speaking at an online news conference PPNCS held Friday morning to discuss the impact the near-total ban on abortions in Iowa that goes into effect […]
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Iowa Democrats praise Biden and endorse Harris; Iowa Republicans demand Biden resign as president
Despite three weeks of op-eds in national news outlets and a small but growing number of Democrats in Congress calling on President Biden to quit the 2024 presidential race, it still came as a surprise when he did so on Sunday. “I believe it is the best interest of my party and the country for […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Supreme Court rejects request for rehearing of its abortion decision, clearing the way for the state’s near-total ban to go into effect (Updated)
Update (Tuesday, July 23, 2024): Iowa’s new near-total abortion ban will go into effect on Monday, following the Iowa Supreme Court’s rejection of a rehearing request on its latest decision on reproductive rights. In an order issued Tuesday morning, Polk County District Court Judge Jerry Farrell wrote “the temporary injunction shall be deemed dissolved effective […]
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Iowa’s extreme abortion ban expected to go into effect Friday
Iowa’s near-total abortion ban is expected to go into effect on Friday, following the 4-3 Iowa Supreme Court decision on June 28 that overturned the temporary injunction halting the ban while the lawsuit filed by the Emma Goldman Clinic and Planned Parenthood North Central States is before the courts. The four-justice majority sent the case back […]
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Iowa, national conservative leaders talk abortion, school choice at Family Leader event
Iowa and national conservative leaders discussed wins and future goals for issues like abortion and education policy Friday at the Family Leadership Summit, with one of the group’s officials calling for further abortion restrictions in Iowa. The Family Leader, an influential conservative Christian organization, brought speakers to the gathering of an estimated 1,000 at the […]
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Iowa Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban, creating ‘a constitutional rule that gives no weight to a woman’s autonomy over her body’
Six years ago, the Iowa Supreme Court found the state constitution guaranteed the right to an abortion. “Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” then-Chief Justice Mark Cady wrote in the 2018 decision striking down a medically unnecessary 72-hour waiting period for an abortion […]
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Federal judge blocks Iowa’s attempt to create its own deportation system
A federal judge in Des Moines issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the enforcement of SF 2340, the Reynolds administration’s attempt to appropriate the federal government’s power to create and enforce immigration laws, establishing a state-level deportation process. U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher’s ruling came one week after he heard oral arguments in two lawsuits […]
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Federal judge hears arguments in lawsuits challenging Iowa’s attempt to create its own system to deport immigrants
A federal judge in Des Moines heard arguments on Monday on the attempt by the Reynolds administration to appropriate the federal government’s power to create and enforce immigration laws. SF 2340 makes it a state crime for a person to be in Iowa if they have previously been denied entry into the U.S., or been […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Des Moines area food banks see a record-breaking surge in people needing assistance as June begins
Food banks always see an increase in the number of people who need help at the beginning of summer, as school vacations begin and kids no longer have easy access to the meals at school. But even with that expected increase, the surge the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network experienced this week […]
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Gov. Kim Reynolds signs final bills from the 2024 legislative session, including hemp, traffic cameras, consolidation and secrecy laws
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed the final slate of bills remaining from the 2024 legislative session, including new laws related to the regulation of hemp-derived product and changes to the state’s boards and commissions. The signing of 20 bills marked the end of action on legislation passed during the 2024 session. While some of […]
