WASHINGTON — The Iowa GOP legislature’s 6-week abortion ban goes into effect today, severely restricting abortion access in the state. This extreme restriction is wildly out of step with a majority of Iowans who support abortion access, yet Republican lawmakers in Iowa and across the country continue their crusade to undermine life-saving care and to control the lives of women. Iowa now joins a list of 17 other GOP-led states with extreme abortion bans, including near-total bans and bans at six weeks or less.
Republicans’ playbook is to move their MAGA agenda through the states, making the balance of power in state legislatures more important this cycle than ever before. GOP-led legislatures have attacked all aspects of reproductive freedom– from abortion and IVF to birth control and emergency contraception, electing Democratic majorities is the strongest path to block the most extreme attacks. The DLCC stands with Iowa Democrats as they work to build power and combat dangerous, unchecked Republican extremism.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“Iowa Republicans have officially made their state one of the most extreme when it comes to restricting reproductive freedom, flying in the face of the majority of Iowans who support abortion access. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, GOP state legislatures have made these bans a top priority, and they show no sign of letting up. The time is now for Democrats to turn their attention to state legislatures where Republicans are leveraging power to pass an extreme agenda that rips up fundamental freedoms. The DLCC will continue to hold the GOP in the states accountable as they compromise the health care of their constituents.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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