(Des Moines, IA) — Democratic candidate Deidre DeJear says as governor, she’d resist new abortion restrictions, but she’d also push to ensure rural hospitals maintain delivery rooms and restore state funding for routine health exams at Planned Parenthood. A state report shows at least 33 Iowa hospital maternity wards have closed over the past two decades. DeJear says the state needs to ensure birthing moms have reasonable access to a hospital for delivery and that the government needs to do more to address childcare “deserts,” where parents have few or no options. DeJear, who is challenging Republican Governor Kim Reynolds in the General Election, also says contraceptives should be available over the counter. Reynolds endorsed the idea in 2018.
