DAVENPORT, Iowa — A group of abortion-rights protestors met Saturday morning with signs, buttons and petitions in hand.
They gathered on the one year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court for a last-minute event. Focus was on abortion access in Iowa, which was narrowly preserved in a split decision by the state Supreme Court earlier this month.
Protestors went around the circle and introduced themselves, sharing their affiliation with local social justice groups and their passion for abortion access.
Deb Zupke, a board member of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, said she and her organization were pushing against the "anti-bodily autonomy" legislation coming from Iowa Governor Reynolds and the Republican legislature.
"Bodily autonomy is a human right, and anti-abortion laws in Iowa are actively harming people in Iowa," Zupke said.
After the Iowa Supreme Court ruled 3-3 on Gov. Reynolds' six-week abortion ban, elected officials from across the state released statements celebrating or disparaging the court's stalemate. Reynolds wrote that her office was reviewing its options to continue the fight against abortion access.
Zupke also outlined some of Planned Parenthood's services, including reproductive education, family planning services and birth control. There isn't a physical location on the Iowa side of the Quad Cities, but Iowans can access care through Telehealth wherever they are.
"Of course, Planned Parenthood does provide abortion care, but Planned Parenthood is so much more than that," she said. "I'm a mother today because of Planned Parenthood, not in spite of it."
Also at the gathering was Glenda Guster, secretary of the Davenport NAACP and president of Progressive Action for the Common Good. She said people of color are often left behind in issues of healthcare access.
"Anytime any laws are passed, in the city, federal level or state level, it affects people of color who look like me more than it does other people," Guster said. "That's how I feel, and I know from just being who I am, it's the truth."
Guster said Roe v. Wade's overturning especially affected access for poor women and women of color who are unable to travel to other states to receive abortions. She recounted her own pregnancy and how local resources helped her.
"When I [had] my first child, I didn't have insurance or anything, but there were things and places I could go to — these clinics — and I could get the same kind of help and treatment as someone who has insurance," she said. "Now all that is taken away, so if you don't have the proper insurance, you're just kind of on your own."
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