Des Moines abortion rights panel aims to connect people
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Hannah Krause, owner of Eden in Des Moines' East Village. Photo courtesy of Hannah Krause
When the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked earlier this year — Hannah Krause didn't see it coming.
State of play: The news — followed by the Iowa Supreme Court's decision to remove abortion protections from the state's constitution — led her to feel "genuine helplessness."
What she's saying: Her first reaction was to move out of the state.
- "What will it be like to raise a young woman, coming-of-age, in a state where she won't have control over her body?" Krause, who has a 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son with her husband, Kum & Go CEO Tanner Krause, told Axios.
Yes, but: With the resources available to her, Krause decided she could stay and try to make a difference, she said.
What's happening: That's led her to create "Iowa: Let's Talk Reproductive Rights," an abortion rights event.
- "If people like me just say we don't like the politics of this state and that I'm out, then we'll never win," Krause said
State of play: The two-hour event on Nov. 7 in Des Moines features two panels of community members. It starts with veteran speakers like Deborah Turner, president of the League of Women Voters and Dianne Bystrom of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State.
- The second hour includes the "next generation" of activists, including Lyz Lenz, the author of "Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women" and Courtney Reyes of One Iowa, an LGBT advocacy group.
The intrigue: This is Krause's first time holding an event like this and she acknowledges that her father- and mother-in law, Kyle and Sharon, of Krause Group, have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans in the state, including to Gov. Kim Reynolds.
- Of note: They have donated to Democrats on a smaller scale.
- "I don't have shared political views with my family and I come at this independently," Krause said.
- Her husband, Tanner, has also donated at least $15,000 to Democrat gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear's campaign.
The bottom line: Krause said there's three things she hopes people take away from the event: A sense of connection to others, to the issue and knowledge on how to take action.