Jun 29, 2023 - Health
Abortions drop in Iowa post-Dobbs decision
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Abortions have decreased in Iowa following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which ended constitutional rights to an abortion.
Driving the news: A new Society of Family Planning report estimating Iowa's abortion rates from April 2022 to December 2022 shows they decreased by 48 abortions a month on average.
- At Planned Parenthood's Iowa clinics, abortions have decreased by 13% since the decision, Sheena Dooley, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood North Central States, tells Axios.
What they're saying: Though abortions remain legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks, a new 24-hour waiting period law that went into effect last July likely contributed to the decrease, Dooley says.
- The new law, which started a week after the Dobbs ruling, requires patients to get two appointments at a clinic with a 24-hour timestamp in between.
- That can be burdensome for low-income patients, especially if they have to drive a long distance or find childcare for those appointments.