Brenna Bird talks about ending the Emergency Contraception for rape victims program. The segment begins at 5:15 and ends at about 6:45:

Like many I was somewhat stunned by what Iowa’s new Attorney General had to say on Iowa Press last Friday night July 28th. So far, perhaps the most controversial policy that has come from Iowa’s new AG is her office’s suspension of payment for emergency contraception for rape victims. 

Like many Iowans I was really smacked by the cruelty of that decision at the time. A woman is the victim of an unwanted sexual attack. She is confused, scared and not sure who to trust. The last thing she wants to worry about at a time like that is an unwanted pregnancy. 

I note a lot of irony when she states it is important to serve victims well, then goes on to say she wants to end emergency contraception. Bird also states that her department is “trying to find ways to make things better” yet then goes on to admit that she plans to kill one of the most important services her office renders. 

In another era, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, then AG Tom Miller decided that getting emergency contraception for the victim was indeed vital and should be covered by the state’s victim’s fund. There could hardly a more textbook example of what a victim is nor what victim’s compensation fund should be used for.

Bird earlier claimed the reason the policy was under review because all of the victim’s compensation payments were being reviewed and payment suspended until the review is over. Friday night she said the emergency compensation will never be renewed. 

Why? we must ask. My best guess is that first there has always been the background mumble in MAGA world that there is no such thing as rape. A woman somehow enticed the man so it was really not rape. As ludicrous as that sounds that seems to be one reason. The second reason is that MAGAs believe that any abortion is wrong no matter the circumstances. Thus a morning after pill is an abortion and as such wrong.

Little Village had a great article on Bird’s position including some background:

Less than four months after becoming Iowa Attorney General, Brenna Bird ordered her office to stop paying for emergency contraception for rape victims. The attorney general’s office had previously covered the cost of Plan B pills, and in some cases abortions, for rape victims since 1990 as part of Sexual Abuse Examination Program. The program was created by the Iowa Legislature in 1979, and moved into the attorney general’s office 11 years later.

In April, when Bird’s order was first reported by Iowa Public Radio, a spokesperson for her office characterized it as just a delay in payment during an audit of all victim services provided by the attorney general’s office.

“As a part of her top-down, bottom-up audit of victim assistance, Attorney General Bird is carefully evaluating whether this is an appropriate use of public funds,” the spokesperson told IPR’s Natalie Krebs. “Until that review is complete, payment of these pending claims will be delayed.”

{{ snip }}

Bird seemed to dismiss the idea that this may cause hardship for victims or be a problem for healthcare providers who assist them, saying “those services still remain available under Iowa law to victims. It’s just whether public funds will pay for them.”

Asked by Henderson if she intends to make the current refusal to pay a permanent policy after the formal conclusion of the audit, Bird replied, “I do, yes, once it’s done.”

So it looks like Brenna Bird has unilaterally ended the emergency contraception program. While Bird notes that a woman can still get emergency contraception at her own cost, many of us expect the day after pill to be a target of the next legislature. Thus Bird and other anti-abortionists can make very hard for a woman to end a pregnancy caused by a rape. 

In an editorial in the CR Gazette shortly after Bird first announce her policy the Gazette noted this:

Iowa Public Radio reports that 70 sexual assault survivors have yet to be reimbursed. The claims add up to $3,300, including $730 for an abortion.

It shouldn’t take much time to audit these small yet critical expenditures. Instead, it seems clear sexual assault victims in Iowa have become pawns in the politics of abortion rights. Bird has said she is “100 percent” pro-life, following in the footsteps of former U.S. Rep. Steve King, whom Bird served as chief of staff. King opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. {my bolding – ed.)

The attorney general, who also campaigned last year on a pledge to stand up for crime victims, should reverse course immediately.

Brenna Bird, ending the emergency contraception for rape victims program is a really bad policy that blames the victim and can lead to an unwanted child and severe life consequences for the victim. The policy is cruel period. Bring back the emergency contraception program now.

And office holders like Bird and Reynolds wonder why Iowans leave and no one is moving in.