For a candidate that loves to tout her medical credentials, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has many troubling stances on healthcare access.

On the campaign trail, the Republican congresswoman has touted her anti-abortion stances. In the U.S. House, she co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit abortion after 15 weeks with the exception of rape, incest, or if the parent’s life was at risk.

If further abortion restrictions are put in place, the University of Iowa’s highly-regarded OB-GYN department may need to change its program, officials recently told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. This is extremely troubling, given the state’s lack of OB-GYN providers. Further restrictions could further hinder the state’s ability to attract and retain healthcare physicians.

And when Keokuk lost its only hospital and 151 jobs earlier this fall, Miller-Meeks was radio silent for days.

Instead of working to find solutions to Iowa’s healthcare woes, Miller-Meeks has been talking about her disdain for the hiring of IRS agents on Fox News, blaming the Biden administration for gas prices, and voting against the federal infrastructure bill (before pleading for money for new projects).

Miller-Meeks is a dangerous threat to rural healthcare. Iowans deserve better.

Democrat Christina Bohannan has made reproductive rights and a right to an abortion a key policy issue. As a current UI law professor and state representative, she knows how critical the university and its healthcare enterprise is to the health of the state’s economy and its people.

She’s also made rural healthcare a focal point of her campaign and is already working with organizations to see if a company would be willing to take on the former Keokuk hospital and bring back its emergency room.

Please vote for Christina Bohannan. She will best fight for access to healthcare in Congress.

• Quentin Misiag, Former University of Iowa student and staff member, Chicago, IL

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.