The impact of Iowa’s strict abortion law on Minnesota

CATHY WURZER: As of 8 o'clock this morning, Monday morning, Iowa joined more than a dozen other states where access to abortions have been sharply reined in. Iowa now prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Providers in states where abortion access is not restricted, like Minnesota, expect to see waves of new patients from Iowa as they've seen from other states where abortion is curtailed after the overturning of Roe v Wade.

Here to talk about the impacts is Professor Laura Harrison. She's the director of gender and women's studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Professor, thanks for taking the time.

LAURA HARRISON: Thanks for having me.

CATHY WURZER: Let's look at this Iowa law, if we could. It was passed last year during a special legislative session. What does it say?

LAURA HARRISON: Well, the law is going to create a about six-week abortion ban in the state of Iowa, which for many patients is before they even realize that they're pregnant. And this law does have some exceptions for things like rape, incest, fetal abnormality or the life of the mother. But even those exceptions are quite limited.

CATHY WURZER: Is this one of these so-called fetal heartbeat laws we've heard about? Because don't medical groups dispute that term?

LAURA HARRISON: Yes, you're absolutely correct. This is a fetal heartbeat law. And as you said, medical groups dispute whether the electrical impulses that are happening at the time that are called a heartbeat are indeed or should be called a heartbeat at all.

CATHY WURZER: How might this new law in Iowa-- how might it have ripple effects throughout the region?

LAURA HARRISON: So Minnesota clinics have been preparing for these circumstances since the overturn of Roe. But like you noted, we will expect large increases of patients traveling from Iowa to Minnesota to seek this essential form of health care.

CATHY WURZER: Do we think--

LAURA HARRISON: One effective--

CATHY WURZER: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

LAURA HARRISON: One effect of this is it's going to create a lot of pressure on systems of reproductive health care and those providers here in the state of Minnesota.

CATHY WURZER: And thanks for bringing that up. Because I'm wondering, are clinics in Minnesota able to handle the numbers?

LAURA HARRISON: They have been preparing. And I would assume that preparing staffing has been one of those ways. But an effect that I would assume we could see is increased wait times for patients who are seeking abortion care. And, of course, we're talking about a health service that can be quite time sensitive.

CATHY WURZER: In states with restrictions, Professor, those seeking an abortion can still get pills by mail. Or they travel, right? Who does this affect the most?

LAURA HARRISON: The people that will be affected the most by the abortion ban in Iowa are going to be low income people and people of color. And one of the reasons for that is because travel is expensive. For people to travel out of state to seek an abortion, they may have to take time off work, which might not be available to them.

They may have to find a hotel to stay at when they're traveling. And they often will need child care. So those who are the most marginalized, in terms of economics and race, are most likely to be impacted by these restrictions.

CATHY WURZER: Of course, there are people who are in favor of these restrictions on the other side of this coin. Have you encountered folks frustrated by the state's position as an abortion refuge?

LAURA HARRISON: I am aware that there are people who are frustrated by the influx of patients coming into Minnesota. But we also have a governor and a lieutenant governor who are strongly supportive of reproductive rights in Minnesota. And we've continued to expand that access.

So reproductive rights in Minnesota are protected. And we're going to be able to provide access for people in other states who need to travel here.

CATHY WURZER: I was also wondering, in Iowa, as you say, abortions after today are quite restricted, quite curtailed under certain circumstances. Would patients be able to get aftercare in Iowa under this new state law if they did have an abortion?

LAURA HARRISON: I think that is going to be a great concern. Some states that have passed restrictive abortion bans have threatened to go after women who travel out of the state to seek those services. I don't know if Iowa plans to do so. But even if the state does not, if patients are fearful of having traveled out of state to receive these services, then they are very likely to be fearful of seeking follow-up care that they might need.

CATHY WURZER: As a person who studies this, and who has looked at this situation, what will you be watching for here in the next weeks and months?

LAURA HARRISON: I'll be watching to see how this change affects health care in the state of Minnesota. One concern for residents of Minnesota could be increased wait times for Minnesota residents as well, including possibly having to travel to other parts of the state ourselves to seek out those services. And also whether this could affect other types of reproductive health care that we rely on as systems become strained to meet the needs of abortion services.

CATHY WURZER: Do you anticipate-- of course, the election's coming up, so who knows which party controls the State House and-- the State House. I'm wondering, anything Minnesota lawmakers could do to consider to decrease barriers to abortion care for, say, out of state patients? Or even in-state patients, as you say, to ease some of this-- the crush?

LAURA HARRISON: I think that Minnesota already has done a lot to increase access here in the state of Minnesota, and to ensure that those who travel from outside of the state will not be prosecuted, that Minnesota will not participate in any prosecutions of those who travel here.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Professor Harrison, thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it.

LAURA HARRISON: Thank you so much.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Professor Laura Harrison, the director of gender and women's studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato.