Protesters flood Statehouse in rally against abortion restrictions
Protesters across the country called out for abortion bans to stop Tuesday, including protesters in central Iowa.
Hundreds gathered in the Statehouse rotunda to protest new laws passed in 16 states since January to restrict or ban abortions.
Holding signs saying, “Trust women” and “My Body, my choice,” abortion rights supporters said the recent legislation is a coordinated attack on women's health.
“A patient's health should drive these decisions, not a politician's belief," said Erin Davison-Rippey, with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
“No law, no man is going to tell me what I can do with my body,” said Trisha Etringer, a pro-choice activist. “This is my own body."
The protests come after a new wave of laws threaten to force a Supreme Court showdown over Roe v. Wade. The high court has shifted to the right, with two conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump.
In Iowa, the law banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat was struck down as unconstitutional. Gov. Kim Reynolds vowed to fight back at a anti-abortion rally in February.
“We are appointing judges to the bench who will adhere to the constitution and not their own philosophies,” Reynolds said in February.
Protesters in Iowa said abortion rights should be an issue on the 2020 campaign trail.
“If you get elected, how are we gonna stop this?” said Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines. “We are going to appoint judges that are not so conservative. That's what we need to do.”