County elected officials from around the state joined together this week to bring your local voice to the statehouse. Having previously served on the Wayne County Board of Supervisors, I recognize that the connection between state and local government is vital in addressing the needs of the people of Iowa.
Serving as ranking member of the Senate Local Government committee places me in an important role in advancing bills related to that government which is most responsive to the people. This year the Treasurers’ Association worked closely with the Legislature in order to streamline the way they do business and their interactions with other state and local agencies to be more efficient in serving the citizens of Iowa.
Pictured below are several county treasurers, four from District 14, who brought your voice to the Capitol.
Women’s Health Matters to Iowans
We have spent the past couple of weeks in the Iowa Senate talking about a variety of issues important to Iowans. It is safe to assume the reason these issues passed the Senate with a large majority is because they are supported by a significant number of Iowans. However, women’s health is not one of those issues that is being discussed on the Senate floor. I was pleased Senator Nancy Boettger, R-Harlan, took the time during her points of personal privilege this week to address women’s health.
Senator Boettger shared a recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll which indicates nearly 66 percent of Iowans oppose telemedicine abortions. The Iowa House passed legislation banning telemedicine abortions in this state Feb. 12 with a bi-partisan majority. Unfortunately, no action has been taken in the Iowa Senate.
Think about this for a minute – if three people were discussing the telemedicine abortion issue, two of them would agree with the Iowa Board of Medicine’s decision last year to require a physician to be physically present when administering abortion-inducing medicine – therefore halting telemedicine abortions.
These procedures have proven to be dangerous to women’s health, and in fact caused more than a dozen deaths and other serious medical conditions. If we truly care about women’s health in this state like we say we do, then I stand with the Iowa House and Senate Republicans in urging Senate Democrats to take up House File 2175 before the session comes to a close.
