All Four Iowa Republicans Vote For Evidence Free Impeachment Inquiry

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Trish Nelson

If you would like to help elect Democrats, all four Iowa Republicans have Democratic challengers for 2024:  We need Democratic representation in congress.

(IA-01) D Sarah Corkery  v R Ashley Hinson;
(IA-02) D Christina Bohannan v R Mariannette Miller-Meeks;
(IA-03) D Lanon Baccam or D Melissa Vine  v R Zach Nunn
(IA-04) D Ryan Melton v R Randy Feenstra

Iowa’s political make up is approximately 1/3 Republicans, 1/3 Democrats and 1/3 no party. But somehow our representation at both the federal and state level is one party –  Republicans (except for Rob Sand, state auditor, Iowa’s only statewide elected Democrat).

All four of our members of congress are MAGA-Rs – Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) , Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Ashley Hinson (IA-02) and Zach Nunn (IA-03). At the state level, the governor’s office and both the state senate and statehouse are controlled by one party, Republicans.

Yesterday, all four members of the Iowa congressional delegation offered up the usual Republican rhetoric to explain why they voted yes to an impeachment “inquiry” of President Joe Biden.  You can read their statements here.

The impeachment “inquiry” is about one goal – establishing a negative false media narrative to hurt President Biden’s electoral chances.  They are counting on getting away with lying about their lack of evidence (thanks to our broken media who seem to have no idea what a follow-up question is).  And they are betting the fact of their lying will not reach enough voters to vote them out of office. They believe (and why shouldn’t they?) the gullible, complicit corporate media will have a heyday with it and report on it as if it is a real thing.  They are confident their propaganda machine in the form of Fox , Newsmax,  right wing talk radio and conspiracy websites will succeed in saturating the public dialogue with suggestive generalities of wrong doing, creating the false impression they want to promote. They understand most people will likely never find out they have no evidence and are making it up.

Republicans are so lackadaisical about possible consequences of their actions, some are  admitting outright they have no evidence against President Biden but they are doing it anyway.

newrepublic.com/republicans-admit-no-incriminating-evidence-joe-biden

aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/14/no-evidence-but-us-republicans-approve-biden-impeachment-inquiry

vanityfair.com/news/fox-news-hosts-say-republicans-have-no-evidence-to-impeach-joe-biden

newsweek.com/mccaul-admits-gop-has-no-evidence

No evidence! These are just a handful of reports, the first ones that showed up on Google when I did a search. It’s everywhere. They have no evidence. They admit it.

Well, some of them admit it. Others, like all four of our representatives in congress, are engaging in various forms of dishonest rhetoric to justify their actions to voters and possibly to themselves. In their public statements yesterday about why they voted for the impeachment “inquiry,” they put forth generalizations and Republican talking points to give a vague impression of righteousness.

I didn’t catch all of the coverage, but KCRG had film of Miller-Meeks attempting to explain why she voted for it and keep a straight face. The only characteristic that I can see differentiating her from other MAGA-Rs is when she doesn’t tell the truth, her face actually reflects self-awareness like she’s conscious it might be obvious. The rest of them just look stone faced. My other observation is she looked scared. It made me wonder what she was told would happen if she didn’t vote right. Check out this video and see if you agree.

The so-called whistleblowers have been debunked. If “more and more” are coming forward, they are likely fake whistleblowers similar to the fake electors. Too bad we don’t have an Iowa media that would ask MMM what about the 65 page report released in May by the House Oversight Committee indicating that no evidence was found.  The report indicated the House GOP “were unable to provide any actual evidence linking the president to any wrongdoing.”

And yet here we are, all four Iowa members of congress voting for an impeachment inquiry after years of looking for something and coming up short.

Putting this in its proper context, popular American historian Heather Cox Richardson summed it up in her newsletter Wednesday quoting Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) who said, “The story is not what they are doing. The story is what they are not doing.”

“Schatz was referring to specific, vital measures that are not getting through Congress: the outstanding funding bill for aid to Ukraine and Israel, border security, and humanitarian aid for Gaza; the Farm Bill, which governs the nation’s agricultural and food assistance programs and needs to be renewed every five years; and the regular appropriations bills that Congress must pass and that House extremists tossed out former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over because they wanted deep cuts that he had agreed with President Joe Biden not to make.

But there is a larger point behind Schatz’s observation. Republicans, especially the extremist wing, have garnered power by promising to stop the government from acting… their role was not to offer real legislative solutions to problems, but rather to gin up support for the party nationally by pushing party talking points on right-wing media. Those talking points focused on slashing the government, which they claimed was hurting their constituents by defending secular society and providing benefits to undeserving minorities and women.

Now the Republicans are in charge of the House of Representatives, and they actually need to get work done. But extremist Republicans’ skill set involves pushing talking points to create a false reality that demands gutting the government, not legislating, which requires compromise and deep understanding of issues.

We appear to be watching Republicans’ fake image crash against reality.” – Heather Cox Richardson

The sooner the better.

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Rural Roundtable Highlights Positive Impact Of Biden Administration Policies

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Trish Nelson

Rural Roundtable Highlights Positive Impact Of Biden Administration Policies

ProgressIowa.org

Click here to watch a recording of the zoom event

Iowans encouraged to visit IowaAtWork.com to learn about the local impact of Biden administration policies, and IowaVoices.org to share personal stories

Farmers, local leaders, and public officials spoke during an Iowa Rural Roundtable last night, to educate people across Iowa about the positive impact the Biden administration has had for our communities.

Across Iowa, the Biden administration has expanded broadband access to grants for childcare centers, improved our infrastructure, and increased local housing investments, among other tangible improvements to Iowa’s small towns and rural areas. In total, at least $7.8 billion has been invested by the Biden administration in Iowa.

“We’re at a critical moment for the nearly 8.5 million homes and small businesses across the country who don’t have access to high-speed internet,” said Chris Hall, a federal program officer with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “Here in Iowa, it will impact schools, access to healthcare, and create good jobs. And the Biden-Harris administration is providing the investments we need to connect everyone in America.”

“We’re frustrated with those who ignore the values we hold dear in our rural communities and we’re glad to be working on another path forward with the Biden administration.” said Aaron Lehman, President of the Iowa Farmers Union. “We appreciate the partnership from an administration that values hard working people, the ability to work together, and that rewards our innovative farmers and rural communities. With that partnership in place we’ll be in a better position to take care of one another in times of need, and hold our soils and natural resources as essential to who we are and how we make a living.”

“Everyone benefits from the programs of the Biden administration, whether it’s protecting our freedom to access reproductive health care, or connecting medical providers and patients with high-speed internet access,” said Dr. Emily Boevers with Iowans for Health Liberty. “Our state is also last in OBGYNs per capita, so advocating for more training opportunities and more chances to recruit across the state has to be a priority.”

“On our farm we raise beef, pork, pastured chickens, turkeys, lambs, and we direct-market nearly everything we sell,” said LaVon Griffeion, a farmer from Polk County. “During the pandemic when meat was in short supply in grocery stores, the USDA, through Biden’s Build Back Better Initiative, awarded Iowa farmers millions of dollars for food grown, raised and processed in Iowa. I was the recipient of that funding twice for our meats.”

Speakers during the roundtable included:

Aaron Lehman, President of Iowa Farmers Union|
Chris Hall, Federal Program Officer Iowa, NTIA
Shirley Vermace, Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors
LaVon Griffieon, Polk County Farmer
Amy Ameling, Executive Director, Little Sprouts Children’s Center
Dr. Emily Boevers, MD, OB-GYN

The Iowa Rural Roundtable was hosted by a coalition including Progress Iowa, Iowa Farmers Union, AFSCME Council 61, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Citizen Action Network, Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Common Good Iowa, Iowa Main Streets and Country Roads, Health Care for America NOW Iowa, Lower Drug Prices Iowa, and RuralOrganizing.org.

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Iowans For Gun Safety Gearing Up For Legislative Session

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Trish Nelson

From our inbox

Here’s why we exist…

Iowans for Gun Safety exists for one purpose: we want to keep Iowans safe from gun violence. Much of our work is involved with tracking gun-related legislation at the state level, deciding if there are dangers in proposed legislation, and then activating our membership to contact their legislators, and even other legislators, who may not be their direct representatives, but who are in powerful positions in state committees. We rely heavily on the fact that our members, like you, are informed voters, but we do provide talking points to help you formulate even more convincing arguments.

We are expecting a flurry of new gun-friendly legislation to be introduced early in the session in January. You can expect to get timely posts from Iowans for Gun Safety asking for your advocacy help. We all share the obligation to pay attention and take action.

This is also a request to support us with your donation. We depleted most of our resources in the unsuccessful effort to defeat the Reckless Gun Amendment last year. But given the challenges that lie ahead, we are also looking for individuals to help us in a variety of ways and on terms each individual chooses. If you are interested in bringing your talents and skills – research, communications, technical support – to Iowans for Gun Safety, please contact us.

Our goal is to be a bigger and better voice in Iowa’s capital, particularly at a time when gun rights advocates seem unwilling to address the real public health and safety issues that guns present. Please help us by donating here Join – Iowans for Gun Safety or send a check to: Iowans for Gun Safety, P.O. Box 8834, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.

Finally, to those who have contributed in the past, thank you for your support and for your confidence in us to continue the work to make Iowa a better and safer place to live. Have a happy and safe holiday!

Art Roche
Chair, Iowans for Gun Safety
515-318-7685
IowansForGunSafety.org

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Billionaire Wants “That Disgusting Human Being” In Jail

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Trish Nelson

It’s not just lefty liberals that want Trump to see justice.

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Please Contact Your US Representative Today

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Trish Nelson


Action alert from Indivisible:

Scroll down to the action.

House Republicans are playing political games rather than governing…again.

In a move that a member of their own caucus described as “relying on an imagined history,” House Republicans are planning to move forward with a vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

In case you were wondering, we still do not have a full government funding package nor have we finalized sending more aid to Ukraine or many other vital functions of our Congress. Instead of working to the benefit of the American people (and the world), MAGA Republicans are continuing their baseless attacks in order to appease the most extreme members of their base and their insurrectionist leader — Donald Trump.

The good thing? Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose three votes and Ken Buck (R-CO) has already vowed to vote against it. That means it would only take two more Republicans to peel away from the motion for Speaker Johnson to suffer a humiliating defeat and this empty inquiry can be put to rest.

For more context, here’s a handy resource on the empty impeachment, how it does nothing to help our communities, the clear desire to use this impeachment to damage President Biden electorally, and Republicans’ blatant pandering to far-right trolls.

Click on the handy resource link above for writing points.

Call the House main switchboard (202) 224-3121  or use the house.gov contact forms linked here:

Randy Feenstra (IA-04), feenstra.house.gov/contact
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), millermeeks.house.gov/contact
Ashley Hinson (IA-02), hinson.house.gov/contact
Zach Nunn (IA-03)]   nunn.house.gov/contact

  1. Call your representative and demand they vote “no” on an impeachment inquiry.

  2. Email your representative and demand the same thing.

  3. Write a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local newspapers denouncing Republicans for pursuing this farce rather than actually doing the jobs they were elected to do.

It is past time for Congress to cut out the posturing and get back to governing. Make sure they hear your voice.

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Iowa Can Do Better

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Trish Nelson

Prairie Dog

From the December 2023 edition of The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter.  The PP is  funded entirely by reader subscription, available in hard copy for $15/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244. Click here for archived issues

While many states have closed their institutions for people with severe disabilities, Iowa continues to lag in its efforts to develop community services. Too many of our citizens don’t have the opportunity to become part of the fabric of our society instead of living as segregated outcasts far from their families and communities.

In April of 2022, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia announced that Glenwood Resource Center on the western edge of the state would close its doors. Garcia stated, “This notion that you are admitted at age two and you live eighty years there is no longer the way we as a society would want to support a human being.” Governor Reynolds agreed, saying that “our best path forward to achieve[the standards of the US Department of Justice] is closing Glenwood and reinvesting in a community-based care continuum that offers a broad array of services.”

Advocates for people who have disabilities applauded with hopes that Iowa would finally—after more than a century of neglect—protect the constitutional rights of its most
vulnerable citizens and develop opportunities to live as independently as possible. Serving people close to home, where oversight is easier, decreases the chances of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment documented by the DOJ. It would also save or redirect a good chunk of the nearly $400,000 in state and federal tax dollars spent annually per resident.

How’s it going a year and eight months later?

A report issued this past October by a state monitoring team found Glenwood to be out of compliance with fifty of sixty-five standards of medical care. It was out of compliance with thirty of thirty-four standards for transition into community settings. The deaths of residents while at the institution have not been adequately reviewed. Eight deaths of residents who died after transitioning have not been reviewed at all. Staff training on transitioning was found to be inadequate. In the last fifteen months eighteen residents were moved to Woodward Resource Center—not a community-based provider. As is typical with the Reynolds administration, no information is available to the public on
whatever progress has been made toward the shuttering of Glenwood.

Iowa can do better. If you care about government transparency, more efficient use of tax dollars, and equal citizenship for all Iowans, contact:

• Governor Kim Reynolds,
515‑281‑5211

• Kelly Garcia, Director, Dept. of
Health and Human Services,
director@dhs.state.ia.us

• Bobby Kaufmann, Chair,
Iowa House Oversight Committee,
bobby.kaufmann@legis.iowa.gov

—David Leshtz

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“The Stink Of Trump”

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Dave Bradley

My hats off to Thom Hartmann for his daily sub stack email of Thursday. His email stated that the Republican Party has chosen to have Trump as their leader. Because of that their party will forever be condemned to have the stench of Trump as their legacy. Thom pulls no punches.

Dear GOP: You’ll Never Wash the Stink of Trump Off You or Your Party. Never.

At least never in the lifetime of anybody around today. Trump’s stink is a tragic part of American history that will last generations…

DEC 7, 2023

Dear Republicans,

After the corruption of the Coolidge and Hoover administrations crashed the world economy, kicking off the Republican Great Depression in 1929, it took your party decades to rid itself of the stink.

After Nixon extended the Vietnam War to get himself re-elected, unnecessarily killing over 20,000 American soldiers and a million Vietnamese civilians, and then got busted for Watergate and the bribes he solicited in the White House, it took you almost a generation to rid yourselves of the stink.

But you’ll never rid yourself of the stink of Donald Trump. At least never in the lifetime of anybody around today. Trump’s stench is a tragic part of American history that will last generations.

The entire world knows the foetor of his whipping up a crowd of thousands to try to assassinate the Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House.

Trump’s minions urinated on the carpets in the hallowed halls of Congress, smeared feces on the walls, damaged priceless paintings from the founding era of our country, and murdered police officers protecting our nation’s Capitol. That stink will never fade, no matter how often his allies try to rewrite history, blur faces, or tell stories about bizarre “deep state” conspiracies.

Did you think Americans would forget the stink of the 30,000+ documented lies he told America and the world while he was president? Or the lies he routinely spouts every time he speaks in public, so frequent now that even Fox “News” has to correct the facts when covering him?

How about the reek of his dictator-like pronouncements that he will destroy the American Civil Service and fill our government with corrupt toadies, then imprison his political enemies and send the military into the streets like Maduro has done in Venezuela and tinpot dictators do all across the world?

Do you really believe that we would forget the stink of his sucking up to murderous dictators like Putin, MBS, and Kim? Now that effluvium is being smeared all over Republican politicians, one after another, as they follow Trump’s orders — which he no doubt received from Putin — to abandon Ukraine.

You are cowards, all. Covered in your wretched, cowardly, unpatriotic stink.

There is much more at the link. He goes into the corruption, using government power to tear apart families and his purported rapes and other crimes.

As we head into Iowa’s caucuses I continue to be gobsmacked that Iowans – once considered to be salt of the earth people – will caucus for this felon, this criminal, this insurrectionist. Any reputation that Iowans had as a good people will be forever destroyed on Republican caucus night.

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Sunday Funday: Two Weeks To Christmas Edition

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Dave Bradley

 

From David Cay Johnston:

We concur. 

Once again America kills its own at an alarming rate, faster than if we were in a war. Yet one political party refuses to even discuss sensible legislation because the guns that are used in the assault on Americans is a major source of their campaign money. Totally insane for a country to be held hostage by politicians beholden to the gun lobby. Vote them out!

Maybe in 2 weeks we can have one day free from politics? I doubt it:

A) Republicans in the US House will be losing 3 members. Who is the third beside George Santos and Kevin McCarthy?

B) Yet another robust jobs report for the US as how many jobs were created in November?

C) You would almost think this is satire. What noted satirist was laid off from his job this week as his employer “seeks to cut costs.”?

D) Some seasonal and holiday questions. What major Jewish holiday began last Thursday evening?

E) The president of what country announced he will run again for the office that could extend his grip on power another 6 years?

F) Friday the US FDA approved what cutting edge gene therapy for the brutal blood disease sickle cell?

G) And Times “Person of the Year is” who?

H) Since she is one of the few Republicans who will stand up to Trump what now author is doing a book tour on liberal shows for her book “Oath and Honor”?

I) What major international corporation is looking to break into the ‘afternoon beverage pick-me-up market’ with stores called CosMc’s?

J) The earliest sundown of the year began December 4th and will continue until when?

K) What tv pioneer who gave us “All In The Family” and “The Jeffersons” died this week at 101?

L) In yet another sad death last week, what founding member of The Moody Blues  and Wings died last week?

M) What undefeated conference champion was left out of the collegiate football playoffs causing loud reaction from their fans?

N) A woman in Texas had to go to court in order to be allowed to have what medical procedure without being prosecuted?

O) In Iowa, our useless Attorney General Brenna Bird joined in a lawsuit that accused several newspapers of using what as reporters?

P) A coalition of Catholic nuns brought shares of what company so they could bring a shareholders lawsuit, did so in Nevada last week?

Q) Speaking before the National Christian Lawmakers Assn. new House Speaker Mike Johnson compared himself to what biblical figure?

R) Meanwhile a video was released that showed former speaker Kevin McCarthy saying that who “looked like America”?

S) Responding to a question from Sean Hannity who said he would “be a dictator for one day”?

T) 25 years ago tomorrow (Dec. 11,1998) the House Judiciary Committee approve impeachment charges against what president?

How sad it is that some individuals believe that scientists, scholars, historians, economists, and journalists have devoted their entire lives to deceiving them, while a reality TV star with decades of fraud & exhaustively documented lying is their only beacon of truth & honesty. – Alicia

Tip of the hat to EarlG on democraticunderground.com

Answers:

A) Bill Johnson of Ohio who was named the new president of Youngstown State University. Johnson says he has no plans to resign from congress – his job at YSU starts March 15.

B) 199,000 as unemployment dropped to 3.7% 

C) Andy Borowitz was laid off by the New Yorker

D) Hannukah

E) Russia’s Putin

F) gene editing using CRISPR

G) Taylor Swift!

H) Liz Cheney

I ) McDonald’s – stores will be opening in Illinois early next year

J) December 13th (Santa Lucia Day)

K) Norman Lear

L) Denny Laine

M) Florida State

N) an abortion

O) hiring terrorists – another far right untrue story

P) Smith and Wesson – they are suing to stop production of the AR15 rifle

Q) Moses

R) The Democratic Party while his party looked like a wealthy country club

S) Donnie Trump

T) Bill Clinton of course

In most countries, if someone thinks that they are Moses, they get mental health treatment but in the United States they get to be speaker of the house. – Dave Matt

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“Moving America Toward A Fascist Theocracy”

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Dave Bradley

Stumbled on this video of Musician Frank Zappa warning America about the coming of a theocratic fascist state. I believe this show is CNN’s old Cross Fire. Zappa’s skepticism serves him and us well. Unfortunately most folks won’t listen to much other than the weather and the sports scores(5:30):

The threat of a theocratic fascism is within sight. Trump is the main adherent, but any of the current MAGA presidential candidates will be the useful idiot that will put the theocrats in charge. They are currently only a couple of steps from full control. We can see this in the US House and the Supreme Court.

While I am speaking of this it seems like a good time to bring up the subject of banned books in Iowa. Nothing says theocratic fascism like controlling what the populace can read. Little Village Magazine printed the full list of some 527 titles that have so far been removed from Iowa schools.

Just to add to the surrealism of the situation the LVM article quotes an extremely clueless governor:

“As predicted, many of the titles commonly removed are by, or depict, LGBTQ+ people. None are pornographic by any commonly held or reasonable definition.

Despite this, Gov. Reynolds insists there is no book ban in Iowa, boasting only that “we got porn out of the classroom and the libraries.”

I mean that woman is clueless.

I am asking that you give the LVM some traffic and read the list over there. But I do want to list some titles that really surprised me:

1984 by George Orwell (seriously?)

Animal Farm by George Orwell 

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (are you kidding?)

Forever by Judy Blume (good lord)

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (good grief)

Maus (graphic novel) by Art Spiegelman 

Sophie’s Choice by William Styron 

Ulysses by James Joyce  (wow – a book so important to ending censorship in the US is now censored)

You get the gist of what kind of books are being banned. I was very surprised that Anne Frank:Diary of a Young Girl was not on the list. I had heard it was. 

I will repeat Barry Goldwater’s warning about the religious right from Saturday’s article:

(BTW – I am sure Kim Reynold’s will have us banned as soon as she can):

There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

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Women Making Their Own Medical Decisions

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Dave Bradley

From last summer (5 minutes):

Never a wild eyed liberal, the very conservative Barry Goldwater once observed about extremist right wing religious nuts that:

 There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

There is nothing the religious extreme right gets more lathered about than women taking charge of their own health decisions in the reproductive area. To be most specific, choosing to have an abortion. To that end the religious right has pushed a concerted effort to take over the majority of state houses and governorships. Now they have one of their own in one of the nation’s most powerful jobs, that of Speaker of the House.

The religious right also owns the highest Court in the land counting 6 of the 9 SCOTUS votes as solidly in their column. Thus they are able to shape and determine national policy whether their determinations make any sense or not or whether it draws on solid legal grounds. 

Many legal scholars feel that the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision was more of a decision that was based on personal opinion. Then Justices twisted legal arguments to fit their decision. But you folks know all that. Thanks to this very flawed – and very chauvinistic – decision women (and girls) throughout the US live in fear should anything go wrong with a pregnancy.

Texas has been one of the most repressive states for abortion and women’s reproductive health. However, a small victory was achieved in Texas Thursday for at least one woman. A woman whose name had to be revealed as the court drama played out had a pregnancy where the baby has a fatal condition called trisomy that will cause the baby to be still born or die shortly after birth. To carry to term would greatly threaten the mother’s life.

The plaintiff was granted immediate relief and may have had the procedure by the time you read this. The patient’s doctor was also granted the ability to perform the abortionwithout fear of protection by the state. 

Think about this long and hard – in order to save her own life a woman in Texas had to get a court order to allow her and her doctor to perform an abortion which should have been her personal decision to begin with. This will be coming to Iowa probably early next year as a fully Republican appointed Supreme Court finally gives their blessing to the abortion law that the state legislature passed in special session last summer.

Reporting on the decision NBC News noted this reaction from the state of Texas at the decision: 

Johnathan Stone, an attorney with the Texas attorney general’s office who represented the state in the hearing, argued that Cox and her husband had not sufficiently demonstrated that they would suffer “immediate and irreparable injury” without an abortion.

“The only party that’s going to suffer an immediate and irreparable harm in this case” if the judge grants the requested order, he said, “is the state.” 

Let me translate – this is a dent in the state’s ability to control women’s bodies and we are scared it might go farther.

Just a reminder that just because Iowa hasn’t implemented its draconian abortion laws yet doesn’t mean it won’t. It will and soon.

Implementing draconian abortion laws will only add to Iowa’s already critical lack of Ob-Gyn services in this state. As reported by Iowa Public Radio last summer, much of Iowa is already a maternity care desert:

 

A third of Iowa’s 99 counties are maternity care deserts, meaning they have no OB/GYNs and no birthing hospitals or birthing centers, according to a new report by the non-profit March of Dimes.

The report found 33 counties fit this definition, marking an increase in the number of rural hospitals that are no longer offering labor and delivery services.

The loss of maternity services correlates with negative birthing outcomes, said Jessica Dill, the manager of centralized developments with the March of Dimes.

“Preterm birth, issues related to birth, maternal morbidity rates go up when families have to drive more than 30 minutes to get to a care provider,” she said.

UPDATE!

As most have heard Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened the woman’s physician with prosecution should an abortion be performed. This is in violation of the court order, but as we all know the rule of law means little to nothing to people like Paxton who himself is being investigated for felonies.

The Texas Supreme Court issued a stay on the court order late Thursday night putting an abortion in limbo. The pregnancy is currently in its 20th week so a decision must come soon one would think.

Pay attention, Iowa. This is your future. With religious extremist Brenna Bird as our AG we can expect insane political interference with a woman’s reproductive care.

Fortunately Illinois and Minnesota are close. Will we have travel restrictions for pregnant women in our futures?

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