Data released by the Iowa Department of Health reveals that abortions in the state rose nearly 14% in 2020. This increase follows an already significant 25% jump in the number of abortions in 2019.
According to the report, 4,058 abortions were committed in Iowa in 2020, a huge increase from 2,849 in 2018. These numbers are a startling rise after the state saw a 56% drop in abortions from 2008 to 2018.
The pro-abortion lobby in the state is blaming the rise in part on legislation that defunded Planned Parenthood in 2017, arguing that stripping funding from the abortion giant made them unable to provide birth control and sex education services. “When unintended pregnancies go up, abortions go up,” said Sally Pederson, a former Iowa lieutenant governor. However, Live Action News has debunked the myth that access to Planned Parenthood-endorsed sex ed programs and increased funding for Planned Parenthood leads to fewer abortions. Planned Parenthood’s bottom line all depends on committing as many abortions as possible.
Former Planned Parenthood manager Ramona Treviño has previously described how an increase in contraception ultimately leads to more abortions.
Working for a non-abortion center made it clear to me that contraception and abortion are two sides of the same coin. One does not exist without the other… Contraception creates a market for abortion by promoting promiscuity and providing men and women a false sense of security against an unintended pregnancy. The more promiscuous people are (especially young people), the more likely they’ll become pregnant.
The more people use birth control and adopt a contraceptive mentality, the higher the odds that they’ll seek an abortion. Because, let’s face it, if they’re using birth control, a child is not part of the ‘plan.’ Abortion is the backup, so to speak, for contraceptive failure, misuse, or lack of self-control.
READ: Judge permanently blocks Iowa law mandating 24-hour abortion waiting period
Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Iowans for Life, also dismissed the idea that it is lack of access to birth control that is causing the abortion increase. She said a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision that protects abortion as a constitutional right is, to blame instead. “When you create a fundamental right, that means you can’t regulate abortions in any way,” she said. “Our hands are tied.”
Drew Zahn, communications director for the pro-life group Family Leader, told The Gazette that the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in chemical abortions make it very difficult for the state to get accurate reporting data. “In the big picture, however, this is all the more reason that Iowa needs more reliable data and abortion reporting methods,” he said.
The state’s pro-lifers are currently working to pass a constitutional amendment that would clarify that the state constitution does not include a right to abortion. According to The Gazette, if that measure is approved in 2023 or 2024, it could be put before Iowans for a vote in the 2024 general election.
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