Friend –

It's going to be another challenging legislative session, and we will remain vigilant in stopping proposals that would take away the rights of Iowans. But we're also confident that we can make bipartisan progress on some key issues.

Although we will be working on many bills in 2022, we've prioritized four broad areas that we'll be especially focused on:

Unjust policing and mass incarceration
The criminal legal system in Iowa disproportionately targets and subjects people of color, and Black people especially, to police brutality, incarceration, and numerous collateral consequences.

Race and gender discrimination in housing
In Iowa, a single eviction or even the mere filing of an eviction notice stays on your record for decades, making it far more difficult to find quality, affordable housing in the future. The consequences of this disproportionately burden Black women and perpetuate social and economic inequities for people of color.

Transgender rights
Some Iowa politicians are targeting transgender Iowans, including children, to deny them equal access to education, medical care, public facilities, jobs, and a place to live. Transgender people deserve to be treated with the same respect and equal treatment as anyone else.

Reproductive freedom
Regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court decides, the ACLU and the ACLU of Iowa remain deeply committed to protecting the fundamental right of people to control their bodies and their lives. In recent years, Iowa has been the site of some of the most aggressive attempts to restrict the right to abortion in the country. But we'll continue to use every tool at our disposal to keep fair, affordable access to abortion, birth control, and sex education.

Meanwhile, please consider joining the ACLU of Iowa Action Team – our statewide team of advocates who contact their legislators, write letters to the editor, and just generally speak up and show up. Reach out to us at [email protected] and find out more about what you can do to protect the rights of everyone in Iowa.

With gratitude,

Mark Stringer
Executive Director, ACLU of Iowa