The Iowa House is considering House File 2435 which would fund the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, as well as, other health and human services activities. State Representative Annette Sweeney (R-Alden) has introduced an amendment (H-8213) entitled the “Whole Woman’s Health Funding Priorities Act.” This amendment is co-sponsored by State Representatives Tom Shaw (R-Laurens), Dwayne Alons (R-Hull) and Kim Pearson (R-Pleasant Hill). It enjoys broad support within the Iowa House.
What it would basically accomplish is to direct funds to organizations and services that provide comprehensive health care for women. This would keep taxpayer dollars from being diverted to organizations, like Planned Parenthood, who do abortions as they do not provide comprehensive health care for women.
The primary language in the amendment stripping money away from abortionists reads:
1. Subject to any applicable requirements of federal law, regulations, or guidelines, any expenditures or grants of public funds for family planning services by the state made by a department shall be made in the following order of priority:
a. To public entities.
b. To nonpublic hospitals and federally qualified health centers.
c. To rural health clinics.
d. To nonpublic health providers that have as their primary purpose the provision of the primary health care services specified in 42 U.S.C. § 254b(b)(1).2. A department shall not enter into a contract with, or make a grant to, any entity that performs abortions that are not federally qualified abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions that are not federally qualified abortions are performed.