Thanks to a deplorable political decision, sexual assault survivors in Iowa are being forced to pay for emergency medical treatment out of their own pockets.
In April, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced an audit of the state’s Victim Services Program. This resulted in a pause of payments toward emergency contraception and abortion care. There are currently more than 160 reimbursement requests pending, totaling around $7,500. The audit is ongoing, and it is still unclear when the payments will be reimbursed.
The pause of payments toward emergency contraception and abortion care is inhumane. It is a violation of human rights and a step backward in the collective effort to end rape culture. Victims of sexual assault should — under no circumstances — have to worry about the affordability of supportive services.
Following decades of burdens looming over generations of sexual assault survivors, victims in Iowa are now being given another financial burden. People dealing with unwanted pregnancies are essentially being told that their treatment is not the responsibility of the government that is supposed to support and protect them; they are left to deal with it themselves.
Tom Miller was Iowa’s attorney general for 40 years until he lost to Bird in 2022. Under Miller, the Sexual Assault Examination Payment Program covered costs of emergency contraception, services to sexual assault victims, and in rare cases, abortion. AG Bird has now stripped these victims of this support.
Bird’s audit is reviewing the programs previously overseen by Miller to determine whether funding abortion care is an appropriate use of public funds. The Sexual Assault Examination Payment Program is not funded by taxpayer dollars but rather by fines and penalties paid by convicted criminals This is clearly not a misuse of public funds if the program isn’t even funded by the public.
Even if the program was funded by taxpayer dollars, there is no doubt that this is an appropriate use. Victims of these crimes should not have the support of their government pulled out from under them.
Iowa law requires the state to cover costs for evidence-gathering medical examinations and treatments to prevent venereal diseases. However, the law does not mention contraception or pregnancy. These should not be considered separate issues; Iowa legislators should change the law to require the state to cover contraception and pregnancy because they represent vital components in sexual assault treatment.
At the moment, the only way to prevent funding of abortion care in Iowa is to pause funding of all sexual assault treatment. This attempt at enforcing pro-life policies is jeopardizing the health, safety, and lives of Iowa citizens.
Bird’s audit is an example of political opportunism. The lives of people undergoing severe trauma are being ignored for the sake of future votes. While society’s battle against rape culture continues, Iowa’s attorney general has proven why the fight must go on.
