Reproductive rights are under assault in Iowa, with Republicans having passed restrictive laws last legislative session. In addition, the Supreme Court looks set to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In this increasingly extreme climate, I want to make my position clear.
As Polk County Attorney, my office will not be prosecuting people for having an abortion or medical professionals for providing an abortion. Period.
I will join with other prosecutors across the nation who have issued a statement similar to mine. County and District Attorneys can be a critical check on the worst impulses of legislators who want to take us back to a pre-Roe era. Under my leadership, the Polk County Attorney’s office will be such a check. We will not be pulled into a Handmaid's Tale nightmare, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure we don't land there.
