Iowa AG halts state reporting on abortions and emergency contraception for rape victims

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) has halted the state’s practice of paying for abortions and emergency contraception for rape victims, according to the Des Moines Register.

The state is required to cover the cost of forensic examinations and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases for victims of sexual assault. Although not required by law, Iowa has previously used its victim compensation fund to cover Plan B and abortions.

“As part of her top-down, bottom-up review of victim assistance, Attorney General Bird carefully considers whether this is an appropriate use of public funds,” Bird spokeswoman Alyssa Brouillet said in a statement, according to the Des Moines Register. “Until this review is complete, payment of these outstanding claims will be delayed.”

Bird ousted longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller in the 2022 election after nearly three decades in office.

The decision to stop Iowa’s coverage of abortion and emergency contraception comes as two federal judges ruled almost simultaneously Friday night on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone.

Texas District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a stay that would stop prescribing and distributing the abortion drug, which has been on the market for more than two decades, while Washington District Judge Thomas Rice blocked the FDA from changing the availability of mifepristone.