This is what happens when states cut public funding of family planning [View all]

Iowa abortions climbed 14% in 2020, after jumping 25% the previous year, new state data show
Tony Leys, Des Moines Register

The number of abortions performed in Iowa climbed nearly 14% in 2020, after jumping 25% the previous year, new state data show.

Iowa had seen years of steady declines in abortions before 2019. But that trendline has changed.

The state saw 4,058 abortions performed in 2020, up from 3,566 in 2019 and 2,849 in 2018, the new numbers show.

The new data were shared with legislative staff Thursday by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The turnaround in abortion numbers came in the wake of Iowa’s 2017 decision to withdraw from a federally funded family planning program, which helped thousands of Iowans gain birth control supplies and information on how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The program was replaced with a state-run version, which barred Planned Parenthood's participation and has served fewer Iowans.

It also comes amid a series of laws the Legislature and governor approved that attempt to limit abortion in Iowa.

Advocates differ sharply on reasons for the trend

State Sen. Janet Petersen, a Des Moines Democrat, said in an interview that she wasn't surprised to see the abortion rate rise for a second year.

"I once again think that when they take family planning services away from Iowans and expect abortion numbers to drop, they're just kidding themselves," said Petersen, who forwarded the information to the Des Moines Register. The information was included in an email from an Iowa Department of Health legislative liaison, titled "Induced Termination Raw Data."

Petersen is a supporter of abortion rights, and an opponent of state policies that she contends restrict birth control options.