Iowa collecting data linked to defunding Planned Parenthood

DES MOINES, Ia. — A state agency is collecting data to better understand whether the Iowa Legislature's move to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers is resulting in less access to reproductive health care.

The Iowa Department of Human Services has been compiling data on its state-run family planning program since it went into effect in July, according to agency officials who spoke to lawmakers at the Capitol this month.

The analysis follows a decision by the Legislature's Republican majority to forgo federal funding and instead spend about $3.1 million in state money on a family planning program that excludes clinics affiliated with abortion services. Lawmakers indicated the move was aimed at denying government funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.

Even before the state's actions, no federal or state dollars were spent on abortions in Iowa.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/17/iowa-collecting-data-linked-defunding-planned-parenthood/676033001/