Deplorable:
Contraception for sexual assault victims will be covered by a state fund for crime victims, but abortions will not, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Friday.
The policy is one of a half-dozen revealed by Bird during a news conference to announce her office’s completion of a 17-month review of and 28-page report on state victim services programs.
“I agree that Plan B contraception prescriptions for victims to prevent pregnancy should be reimbursed,” Bird said. “However, Iowa will not use public dollars to pay for abortions” for assault survivors.
Under Bird’s predecessor, Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller, Iowa providers — mostly hospitals and pharmacies — were reimbursed for contraception and abortions delivered to sexual assault victims. The services were covered by the state’s Crime Victim Compensation Program, which is funded by fines, penalties and restitution paid by criminals, as well as by federal resources and other criminal justice system sources. No state tax sources fund the program.
After defeating Miller in the 2022 election and becoming Attorney General in 2023, Bird, a Republican and vocal opponent of abortions, halted the reimbursement of contraception and abortions for sexual assault victims while her office reviewed victim services programs.
During the 17-month review, there was one request for reimbursement for an abortion for a sexual assault victim in Iowa and 362 requests for reimbursement for contraception totaling $14,904.35, according to Bird’s office. Bird said those pending claims for contraception will be reimbursed, as will all future claims.
Victims were able to receive contraception and abortions during the review period; only the reimbursements to providers were paused.
“I want to make it clear that not one victim was denied services due to the audit. Not one victim was delayed in receiving services due to the audit,” Bird said.
Plan B contraception delays or halts ovulation, preventing a pregnancy from occurring, the Food and Drug Administration says.
Victim advocates, including the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, had urged Bird to continue using the program’s funds to cover emergency contraception and abortion. They say cost should never be a barrier for rape victims seeking medical care.
A spokesperson for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence said Friday afternoon that the organization was reviewing the report and Bird’s new policy, and the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, representing the organization that provides reproductive health care services, including abortions, issued a statement criticizing the new policy.
“For months, Attorney General Bird unnecessarily denied reimbursement for hundreds of sexual assault survivors, turning them into political pawns,” Mazie Stilwell, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, said in the statement.
“Politicizing sexual assault survivors is absolutely reprehensible and sickening. These are real people who are vulnerable and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Although state-paid emergency contraceptives will resume, those in need of abortion care will now have to shoulder the cost. This is the last thing survivors should have to worry about. It’s not right, and we must demand better from the people elected to represent us.”
State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, issued a statement accusing Bird of creating a politically motivated policy.
“For a year, Iowa’s Attorney General inflicted even more trauma on rape victims just for politics,” he said in his statement. “We know because her report doesn’t provide a single legal or financial reason to have withheld payments for emergency contraception.”
Jacinda Bunch, a sexual assault nurse examiner for the Johnson County sexual assault response team, said the last 17 months have been frustrating and created anxiety among patients and providers.
“I am just glad that we finally have a determination and can move forward, and we know that we’re going to get reimbursed,” she said.
She noted it is “very rare occurrence” that a victim would need or request an abortion. “I’m just happy we can do the majority of the care that we need to do,” she said. “That’s why emergency contraception is really important so we don’t get to later stages where an abortion might be necessary.”
Katy Rasmussen, coordinator for the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team, said she was relieved to hear state payments for emergency contraception will be reinstated.
“Offering emergency contraception to our patients is an integral part of the exam, and all of our patients deserve to have this option without worrying about how they will cover this cost,” she said.
Rasmussen said the 17-month pause “put a huge burden” onto programs that did not have other options for covering the cost.
“For us, we were very worried about how we would find the funding to cover this cost,” Rasmussen said. “Luckily Johnson County was willing to step up and provide some funding, but not every program had that support. Hopefully, the changes they make based on the audit were worth the struggle.”
Polk and Johnson counties set aside funding to help cover those expenses in their area while the state program remained in question.
To date, roughly $2,500 has been spent in Johnson County.
Initially, hospitals and pharmacies either agreed to cover the cost or held off on submitting claims while awaiting the outcome of Bird’s audit. But once a year had passed, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics decided to go forward with billing Johnson County for the costs it had been holding.
Some hospitals still are sending bills to the Attorney General’s Office. Some have agreed to cover the cost for patients. And many victim advocates are exploring fundraising options to pay for it.
Before Friday’s news conference, the Attorney General’s Office did not answer questions from The Gazette about the scope of the audit, how it was conducted, why it was taking so long, what was delaying the release of the report and when a decision would be made.
The Gazette had requested more than two months ago a copy of the audit and other documents related to the review. The Attorney General’s Office provided those documents Friday, and stated it withheld release as the findings and report had yet to be finalized. Iowa Code excludes preliminary documents from being made public.
Bird announced other new policies, including what she described as fixes to victim notification systems, boosted incentives for sexual assault nurses and improved tracking of rape kits.
Bird said her office’s review showed:
Rasmussen said being a SANE nurse involves additional training and ongoing education, often unpaid and potentially at great cost to the nurse doing the training. “I think increasing the pay will help ease the burden of these training costs as well as show that the work we do is valued,” she said.
The full report can be viewed on the Iowa Attorney General’s website.
www.thegazette.com
Contraception for sexual assault victims will be covered by a state fund for crime victims, but abortions will not, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Friday.
The policy is one of a half-dozen revealed by Bird during a news conference to announce her office’s completion of a 17-month review of and 28-page report on state victim services programs.
“I agree that Plan B contraception prescriptions for victims to prevent pregnancy should be reimbursed,” Bird said. “However, Iowa will not use public dollars to pay for abortions” for assault survivors.
Under Bird’s predecessor, Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller, Iowa providers — mostly hospitals and pharmacies — were reimbursed for contraception and abortions delivered to sexual assault victims. The services were covered by the state’s Crime Victim Compensation Program, which is funded by fines, penalties and restitution paid by criminals, as well as by federal resources and other criminal justice system sources. No state tax sources fund the program.
After defeating Miller in the 2022 election and becoming Attorney General in 2023, Bird, a Republican and vocal opponent of abortions, halted the reimbursement of contraception and abortions for sexual assault victims while her office reviewed victim services programs.
During the 17-month review, there was one request for reimbursement for an abortion for a sexual assault victim in Iowa and 362 requests for reimbursement for contraception totaling $14,904.35, according to Bird’s office. Bird said those pending claims for contraception will be reimbursed, as will all future claims.
Victims were able to receive contraception and abortions during the review period; only the reimbursements to providers were paused.
“I want to make it clear that not one victim was denied services due to the audit. Not one victim was delayed in receiving services due to the audit,” Bird said.
Plan B contraception delays or halts ovulation, preventing a pregnancy from occurring, the Food and Drug Administration says.
Victim advocates, including the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, had urged Bird to continue using the program’s funds to cover emergency contraception and abortion. They say cost should never be a barrier for rape victims seeking medical care.
A spokesperson for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence said Friday afternoon that the organization was reviewing the report and Bird’s new policy, and the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, representing the organization that provides reproductive health care services, including abortions, issued a statement criticizing the new policy.
“For months, Attorney General Bird unnecessarily denied reimbursement for hundreds of sexual assault survivors, turning them into political pawns,” Mazie Stilwell, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, said in the statement.
“Politicizing sexual assault survivors is absolutely reprehensible and sickening. These are real people who are vulnerable and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Although state-paid emergency contraceptives will resume, those in need of abortion care will now have to shoulder the cost. This is the last thing survivors should have to worry about. It’s not right, and we must demand better from the people elected to represent us.”
State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, issued a statement accusing Bird of creating a politically motivated policy.
“For a year, Iowa’s Attorney General inflicted even more trauma on rape victims just for politics,” he said in his statement. “We know because her report doesn’t provide a single legal or financial reason to have withheld payments for emergency contraception.”
Assault victims advocates react
Jacinda Bunch, a sexual assault nurse examiner for the Johnson County sexual assault response team, said the last 17 months have been frustrating and created anxiety among patients and providers.
“I am just glad that we finally have a determination and can move forward, and we know that we’re going to get reimbursed,” she said.
She noted it is “very rare occurrence” that a victim would need or request an abortion. “I’m just happy we can do the majority of the care that we need to do,” she said. “That’s why emergency contraception is really important so we don’t get to later stages where an abortion might be necessary.”
Katy Rasmussen, coordinator for the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team, said she was relieved to hear state payments for emergency contraception will be reinstated.
“Offering emergency contraception to our patients is an integral part of the exam, and all of our patients deserve to have this option without worrying about how they will cover this cost,” she said.
Rasmussen said the 17-month pause “put a huge burden” onto programs that did not have other options for covering the cost.
“For us, we were very worried about how we would find the funding to cover this cost,” Rasmussen said. “Luckily Johnson County was willing to step up and provide some funding, but not every program had that support. Hopefully, the changes they make based on the audit were worth the struggle.”
Counties taking action
Polk and Johnson counties set aside funding to help cover those expenses in their area while the state program remained in question.
To date, roughly $2,500 has been spent in Johnson County.
Initially, hospitals and pharmacies either agreed to cover the cost or held off on submitting claims while awaiting the outcome of Bird’s audit. But once a year had passed, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics decided to go forward with billing Johnson County for the costs it had been holding.
Some hospitals still are sending bills to the Attorney General’s Office. Some have agreed to cover the cost for patients. And many victim advocates are exploring fundraising options to pay for it.
Records requested from AG’s office
Before Friday’s news conference, the Attorney General’s Office did not answer questions from The Gazette about the scope of the audit, how it was conducted, why it was taking so long, what was delaying the release of the report and when a decision would be made.
The Gazette had requested more than two months ago a copy of the audit and other documents related to the review. The Attorney General’s Office provided those documents Friday, and stated it withheld release as the findings and report had yet to be finalized. Iowa Code excludes preliminary documents from being made public.
Also in the victim services report
Bird announced other new policies, including what she described as fixes to victim notification systems, boosted incentives for sexual assault nurses and improved tracking of rape kits.
Bird said her office’s review showed:
- A shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners, or SANE nurses, leading to long wait times for victims — up to eight hours in Polk County. Bird recommends doubling exam payments to SANE nurses and reimbursing them for their travel.
Rasmussen said being a SANE nurse involves additional training and ongoing education, often unpaid and potentially at great cost to the nurse doing the training. “I think increasing the pay will help ease the burden of these training costs as well as show that the work we do is valued,” she said.
- Prosecuting attorneys have been unable to update the status and location of sexual assault evidence collection kits, known as rape kits. The Attorney General’s Office has updated the program to ensure prosecutors can update the status of kits.
- A notification system designed to alert victims when their abuser is served a protective order and when that order is about to expire was no longer operating. Bird said she hired a staff member to launch a new protective order notification system.
- A notification system designed to alert victims when their abuser is released from custody had been producing inaccurate alerts. Bird said her office has worked with partners to correct the messages and ensure alerts are accurate.
The full report can be viewed on the Iowa Attorney General’s website.
Iowa will resume reimbursements to sexual assault victims for contraception, not abortions
Iowa providers will be reimbursed by the state for emergency contraception provided to sexual assault victims, but abortion services for victims will not be reimbursed, according to a new policy announced Friday by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird following a 17-month review conducted by her...
www.thegazette.com
