Abortion law will push people to receive care out of state

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - With Iowa’s new law banning virtually all abortions, one clinic in Illinois says it’s preparing to serve Iowa patients.

“Hope Clinic” in Granite City said since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade leaving it up to the states to determine access to abortion, the number of people coming to them for an abortion has more than doubled.

“Cardiac activity can be detected as early as five to six weeks,” said Hope Clinics Chief Operation Officer Michele Landeau. “That’s not only before a lot of people know they are pregnant, but that also doesn’t give people much time to think about that decision.”

Landeau said they’d seen a 200% increase in the number of people coming to the clinic before the US Supreme Court overturned “Roe v. Wade”. She said laws like this are only going to mean more people will be seeking abortions.

“People need abortion care, and they will figure out a way to get to us,” she said. “They know what’s best for themselves and they know what’s best for their families.”

Landeau said this law will have a greater impact on young people, poor people, and minority groups. She said 80% of the patients her clinic sees receive financial help for travel, food, childcare, or the cost of an abortion.

“These bans, such as the six-week ban that was just decided in the Iowa Supreme Court, will leave a lot of people out in the cold and there will be barriers that some people cannot overcome,” Landeau said.

She said this law was only going to hurt the people of Iowa.

“There are a lot of people in the state of Iowa who are going to need abortion care sometime in the future and not even know it yet, and they might not be able to access that care,” said Landeau.

The law restricting abortion will go into effect 3 weeks from now.