Iowa's anti-abortion centers could ditch third-party administrator under House bill

Michaela Ramm, Des Moines Register
·4 min read
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Iowa lawmakers are considering changes to a state program that offers funding to anti-abortion centers across Iowa after the initial rollout of that program experienced major roadblocks last year.

A House subcommittee advanced House File 2057, which would remove the requirement for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to hire a third-party administrator to the More Options For Maternal Support, or MOMS, program.

The House Health and Human Services subcommittee voted to advance the bill to committee on Wednesday afternoon, with the sole Democrat on the subcommittee opposing.

"I'm interested in moving this bill forward to increase the discussion among a broader group of our Health and Human Services committee," said Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester and chair of the subcommittee.

The program was established by the GOP-led Iowa Legislature to provide state dollars to pregnancy resource centers. Also known as crisis pregnancy centers, these anti-abortion facilities encourage women to keep their pregnancies or consider adoption by offering counseling or donated items, like cribs and baby clothes. Some centers also offer ultrasounds, though these centers are not licensed medical clinics.

A patient room and an ultrasound machine at Women's Choice Center, an anti-abortion pregnancy resource center in Bettendorf. In the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers allocated $2 million in funding for such facilities, often religiously affiliated organizations that encourage women to keep their pregnancies.
A patient room and an ultrasound machine at Women's Choice Center, an anti-abortion pregnancy resource center in Bettendorf. In the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers allocated $2 million in funding for such facilities, often religiously affiliated organizations that encourage women to keep their pregnancies.

Under the current law, the state's health and human services agency is required hire an Iowa-based nonprofit to oversee the network of pregnancy resource centers that receive state funding to offer "pregnancy support services" to Iowans.

However, the state has ended that search for a program administrator after the health and human services agency failed twice to identify a qualified entity to serve in this role last year. The first search only garnered one applicant who failed to meet the state's requirements. The second search yield "no responsive bidders."

More: Iowa fails — again — to find administrator for network of contentious anti-abortion centers

In the interim, HHS has served as the MOMS program administrator, agency officials say.

Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, told legislators during Wednesday's subcommittee hearing he supported the move to allow HHS to take on the role of program administrator.

"HHS, as you know, over the past couple of years has been performing their due diligence with groups that they didn't think were up to the job and we support them in that," Chapman said. "So we think this adjustment will help it be an Iowa-base program."

Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, agreed that the state agency was making the appropriate decision to not hire an entity that was not qualified to serve as MOMS program administrator. However, she said the fact the state hasn't been able to identify a qualified administrator indicates to her that "this is not a good program."

"I do not think that it is a good idea to continue spending taxpayer dollars on programs that are not moving forward because we cannot find that administrator that is qualified, but also does not meet the needs in a genuine and completely honest way that every single Iowan deserves," Matson said.

The bill would also remove the requirement for the state agency to publish criteria for the MOMS program administrator and program providers from the HHS website. Critics raised concerns Wednesday that such a move would reduce transparency in the program.

The Iowa Legislature has earmarked $2 million to administer the MOMS program and to provide grants to pregnancy resources centers in Iowa, while explicitly blocking organizations that offer abortion services.

Funding for these pregnancy resource centers is expected to be announced later this week. Total funds awarded from this program are estimated to be as much as $1 million annually, HHS officials told the Des Moines Register.

More: What are crisis pregnancy centers? And why is Iowa trying to fund them? What to know:

There are an estimated 55 pregnancy resource centers across the state.

Most who spoke at Wednesday's subcommittee voiced their opposition for the program, including Iowans who shared their negative experiences visiting or volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center.

Iowa Family Planning Council of Iowa Executive Director Allison Smith denounced these centers, saying they often pose as legitimate medical clinics despite the fact they are not licensed centers nor are regulated by a credentialing body. As a result, they are not required to meet patient privacy standards or other requirements meant to safeguard patients.

It's also a common tactic for centers to use emotional manipulation, including performing ultrasounds, to "shame pregnant people under the guise of informing," according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.

"At (crisis pregnancy centers), religious ideologies take priority over the health and well-being of a woman seeking care," Smith said. "This results in women receiving incomplete, inaccurate and biased information about their options. … The state of Iowa is implicitly endorsing CPCs by providing financial support for them."

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa legislators considering changes to anti-abortion MOMS program