Last week, the Iowa Senate passed an amendment to House File 766 that would block Planned Parenthood from receiving two types of federal grants that fund sex-education programs in Iowa. While Planned Parenthood is no stranger to political attacks, this recent attack is not only unnecessary but completely ignorant.

Planned Parenthood provides sex education to nearly 40,000 youth and adults across Iowa, and contrary to what many of our senators believe, this does not include promoting abortion services. If Planned Parenthood intended to profit from abortion services, it wouldn’t go through the tedious process of applying for federal grants to provide prevention services, but it does. It wouldn’t distribute free condoms in its clinics and communities, but it does. It also wouldn’t provide education to thousands of Iowans on contraceptive options, but it does.

As a former patient and public-health professional, I’m outraged by the lack of common sense among our elected officials. It’s completely unacceptable for policymakers to pass senseless legislation to serve their personal or religious agendas. Regardless of your stance on abortion, I think everyone can agree that preventing unintended pregnancies is the preferred situation. Taking sex education away from thousands of Iowans certainly will not accomplish that goal. Call Gov. Kim Reynolds and tell her to veto the attack on Planned Parenthood’s sex-education funding. 

— Tessa Allred

Resident of Tiffin, Iowa