Republicans seek national abortion ban, threatening women's health and freedom
As physicians, we can tell you that the exam room is too small for a doctor, a patient, and the government. Already, our patients in Iowa are facing the prospect of an extreme six-week abortion ban going into effect, before many women even know they’re pregnant — all because of the choices made by Republican leaders in the state.
While litigation on the ban continues, Republican candidates for president have made it clear they will go further to pass a national abortion ban. These candidates have already published plans to stop women in all 50 states from accessing medication abortion, without the help of Congress or the courts. Iowans need to know that every Republican candidate running for president in 2024 would make it more difficult for doctors to provide the best care possible to our patients.
The attacks from this GOP field on women’s health aren’t medically sound, and these presidential contenders have used every opportunity to spread dangerous misinformation about reproductive health care and attack the rights of women to make their own health care decisions. For example, former president Donald Trump brags about “killing” Roe v. Wade and takes credit for abortion bans. Trump once threatened punishment for women who receive care. This anti-reproductive freedom agenda is deeply dangerous for women and care providers in Iowa and every state across the country.
Each Republican candidate is waging attacks on health care even more extreme than what is currently in Iowa. One signed an abortion ban that requires two doctors to sign off on abortions in medical emergencies. When every second counts, requiring two doctors to sign off on care when the life of the woman is in jeopardy, especially in rural areas that already suffer from a lack of OB-GYN specialists, is reckless and endangers women.
Another candidate has signed legislation banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest that threatened doctors with jail time and has promised to sign any national abortion ban that made it to her desk if elected.
We support candidates who stand up to defend a woman’s reproductive freedom. The Biden-Harris administration is working to protect access to reproductive health care, safeguard patient privacy, and continues to call on Congress to codify the protections of Roe into federal law.
While President Joe Biden has pledged to safeguard reproductive freedoms, Republican candidates running for president have made it clear: a vote for them is a vote for a national abortion ban. With so much on the line for reproductive liberty this year, the future of women’s health is on the ballot this November.
This essay was submitted by Andrea Greiner, M.D., Emily Boevers, M.D., Francesca Turner, D.O., and Jami Maxon, M.D.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Caucuses: GOP candidates back abortion bans, threatening freedoms
