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Iowa Will No Longer Pay for Emergency Contraceptives for Rape Victims

The Republican attorney general’s decision reverses a policy implemented by his Democratic predecessor.

Iowa will no longer pay for abortions or emergency contraceptives for rape victims, reversing years of precedent as the state’s Republican attorney general conducts an internal review, according to the Des Moines Register. “As a part of her top-down, bottom-up audit of victim assistance, Attorney General Bird is carefully evaluating whether this is an appropriate use of public funds,” a press secretary for Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement. “Until that review is complete, payment of these pending claims will be delayed.” The funds that pay for such services, which include coverage for exams and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, are derived from fines paid by convicted criminals. While abortions covered under the victim compensation fund were rare, Bird’s predecessor, Tom Miller, also allowed the funds to pay for Plan B, the “morning-after pill” taken to prevent pregnancy.