State Auditor calls out delayed payments for contraception for sexual assault victims

cigaretteman · Mar 29, 2024

State Auditor Rob Sand is calling out Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird for delaying payments for contraception for victims of sexual assault.

State Auditor Rob Sand says Bird paused payments to sexual assault victims for contraception and abortions on her first day in office in January of 2023. “Half of those survivors receiving such contraception are children and teenagers,” Sand said.

Sand takes issue with Bird’s office calling the pause an audit, and says Iowa schools and towns are audited yearly without interruption. “None of them have ever suspended business while waiting for their audit to get completed. This is a policy decision the Attorney General made and this sort of choice, word choice, is simply a way to help her avoid accountability for her own decision,” Sand said.

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Sand said the holdup is hurting Iowans. “The trauma and the pain that the Attorney General’s decision is putting victims through in this case literally makes my skin crawl,” Sand said.

Bird’s office says they’re evaluating whether it’s an appropriate use of public funds, but Sand says it’s not taxpayer money being used. “It’s also worth pointing out that the money that is used to pay for emergency contraception doesn’t come from taxpayers. It comes from criminals from the fines that they have to pay when convicted of a crime,” Sand said.

In a statement, Attorney General Bird’s office says the State Auditor is playing politics and spreading misinformation. It goes on to say they’re in the final stages of the audit and will release it when it’s finished. No timeline was given as to when that may be.

Alyssa Brouillet, Communications Director for the AG’s office said, “The State Auditor and Planned Parenthood are flat wrong. It is a shame that the Auditor is playing politics with a critical audit of victim services and blasting misinformation to boost his own profile. We will publicly release the report once it is final. While not required by Iowa law, the victim compensation fund has previously paid for Plan B and abortions. 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. That audit is ongoing. Until that review is complete, payment of these pending claims will be delayed.”