Bloomington, Minnesota —
There will be no more abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy in Iowa starting Monday, so doctors and government leaders in Minnesota are getting ready to welcome patients coming from that state.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota visited the Whole Woman’s Health of Minnesota, a Bloomington abortion center on Thursday. She was happy to see Iowans who wanted to get an abortion after the new rules went into force.
In Iowa, abortions were allowed up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy. When Republicans took over the state assembly in July of last year, they made it illegal to have the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. This is usually before a woman knows she is pregnant. However, there are some exceptions, such as when there is rape, incest, a problem with the baby, or the mother’s life is in danger.
An OB-GYN from Minnesota named Sarah Traxler is the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States. She said that Iowa’s rule could have effects all over the region.
“After the Dobbs decision, a lot of patients came from Missouri to Iowa,” Traxler told Minnesota Public Radio. “This is going to have resounding impacts on the region itself, especially the Midwest and the South.”
In June, the Iowa Supreme Court said again that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state. They also said that the law should no longer be put on hold. By order from last week, the district court judge set July 29 as the first day of execution.
Getting an abortion has been getting easier all over the country since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As soon as trigger laws were passed, new restrictions were put in place, but court fights put those on hold, and access was increased in some places.
In states with limits, the only ways to get an abortion are to get pills through the mail or illegal networks and travel. This makes states with more access much more popular.
In the past year, people from South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas have gone to Whole Woman’s Health of Minnesota. The clinic’s founder and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller, said she thinks there will be more patients after Iowa’s restrictions go into place.
Flanagan said that Minnesota would continue to help people who come from other states to get an abortion.
Flanagan told them, “Seek refuge in Minnesota if you’re scared.” “We’ve got you.”
