The Exchange 051618
Introduction
Welcome to The Exchange, I’m Mary Hartnett. This week, there were major decisions made on the state and local level. First, we hear about the lawsuit that’s been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland yesterday.
The law would effectively ban most abortions after about six weeks into pregnancy. The plaintiffs say the law needs to be struck down as unconstitutional.
The lawsuit makes claims under the Iowa Constitution but NOT the U.S. Constitution. That means it’s highly unlikely this lawsuit would ever appear in federal courts and present a challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. At a Des Moines press conference yesterday afternoon, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood talked about the lawsuit. Rita Bettis is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Iowa. Bettis outlined the case.
Bettis1 :54
In: “The Plaintiffs . . .”
Out: “ . . . such a ban.”
Susana DeBaca is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. She said since Governor Reynolds signed the abortion law all eyes have been on Iowa for the wrong reasons.
Debaca1 :50
In: “How did something . . .”
Out: “ . . . or access care.”
Francine Thompson is the co-director of the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City. The non-profit clinic was the first in Iowa to provide abortion services. Thompson said the clinic sees each day the devastating effects the fetal heartbeat law would have on women.
Thompson1 :27
In: “it’s a law . . .”
Out: “ . . . with healthcare professionals.”
Thompson added that the cutoff period for this bill, at about six weeks, simply does not work for women.
Thompson2
In: “The timing . . .”
Out: “. . . must be struck down.”
Rita Bettis of the ACLU said the injunction filed against the law.
Bettis 2 :27
In: So, what we’ve asked . . .”
Out: “. . . litigating the case.”
Bettis was asked why the plaintiffs waited two weeks after the bill was signed to file this injunction since the ACLU had filed injunctions against previous abortion laws in Iowa hours after they were signed.
Bettis 3
In: “The 72 hour . . .”
Out: “ . . . ready to go.”
A reporter at yesterday’s press conference asked Bettis why this case was being filed in state court and how it might affect the process of the pending Supreme Court decision on the Iowa law that requires a 72 hour waiting period before an abortion.
Bettis 4 :50
In: “The Iowa Supreme Court . . .”
Out: “ . . .
Bettis was also asked whether this lawsuit could be a test case for a challenge to Roe V. Wade, which legalized abortion back in 1973.
Bettis 5 :31
In: “I think it’s important . . .”
Out: “ . . . the federal courts.”
Francine Thompson was asked about the mood at the Emma Goldman clinic in the aftermath of the fetal heartbeat bill.
Thompson4 1:00
In: “our staff . . .”
Out: “ . . . or around six weeks.”
When asked about the potential effect of the law if it goes into effect, Rita Bettis of the ACLU said this.
Bettis6 :28
In: “If this law . . .”
Out: “. . . on our patients.”
Erin Davis Rippey is the director of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. She told reporters that Iowa has long been a state that respects the rights of women and all citizens, so this law is not typical for Iowa.
Rippey1 :45
In: “What we have seen . . .”
Out: “ . . . the will of the people.”
Susana DeBaca of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland told one reporter that she hopes this ruling doesn’t change the perception of Iowa around the world.
In: “I think what . . .”
Out: “. . . not by the government.”
That was Susana DeBaca of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. You just hear excerpts from yesterday’s news conference in Des Moines, where Planned Parenthood, the ACLU of Iowa and the Emma Goldman Clinic of Iowa City announced they had filed a lawsuit in state court suing Governor Kim Reynolds for signing a new law that prohibits abortions in Iowa after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Governor Reynolds says she stands by her decision.
Last night the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors finalized an agreement to join the Rolling Hills Regional Mental Health group. Woodbury County applied for membership after voting last year to leave the three-county Sioux Rivers Mental Health and Disability Services group.
However, Woodbury County can’t officially join and use services until July first of next year, and that leaves the county with a gap year for mental health and disability services. Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding or MOU with the Rolling Hills Community Service Region for conditional acceptance.
But it’s still not clear how mental health services will be delivered during the gap year. Supervisor Jeremy Taylor said he will soon start discussions with Plymouth and Sioux counties to re-enter the Sioux Rivers Mental Health and Disability Services Group for another year, but they would need a restructured MOU with certain provisions.
80622Jeremy1 :15
“Woodbury County is going to be in an interesting position, with signing this, Woodbury County will be a Rolling Hills governance board member, a member as of 2019 as long as provisions of this MOU is set.”
The county is also waiting to hear back on an appeal to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services on whether it can deliver mental health services on its own for a year. You can hear more on the Rolling Hills decision today at noon on The Exchange.
In an interview before yesterday’s meeting, Taylor said Rolling Hills will serve the needs of Woodbury County much better than Sioux Rivers ever had the ability to do.
Taylor 11:32
In: “Well, we really . . .”
Out: “. . . to stand alone.”
That was Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, talking about the agreement the board finalized last night to become part of the Rolling Hills Mental Health and Disability Services Group starting on July 1, 2019.
You’re listening to The Exchange, on Siouxland Public Media, I’m Mary Hartnett. The issue of abortion has become a very divisive one, and it’s just one of many that divided voters in the 2016 Presidential election. Since then, it has been difficult for some on the right and the left to have calm, respectful conversations with each other. That’s the problem that author Howard Ross takes on in the book, “Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is tearing us apart.” Ross, the bestselling author of “Everyday Bias,” spent months talking with Trump and Clinton supporters about their choices and their opinions about the opposition. Ross says, despite his efforts to be impartial, he found himself being drawn into the ideological scuffle.
Howard 12:39
In: “Actually, it was during the campaign . . .”
Out: “ . . . developing relationships again.:
That was author Howard Ross, author of the book, “Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart.” Ross spent months talking with Trump and Clinton voters during the 2016 Presidential campaign, trying to find out the nature of the cultural divide. Ross is also the author of the bestseller, “Everyday Bias.”
Quilts
You’re listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media. Quilts have always been an integral part of American history. From the quilts, our great-grandmothers made to the highly stylized machine-made quilts of today, these works of art and utility have told the story of lives. At the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, visitors can see quilts that date back 200 years. Some of those quilts are also included in the new book “American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760-1870.” The book was put together by the center’s Carolyn Ducey and Patricia Cox Crews. The voluminous book is filled with full-color photos of the quilts that were pieced during the industrial revolution. Professor Cox –Crews says until the advent of cotton and wool mills, most people had very few clothes.
Quilts2 12;39
In: “Before the war . . .”
Out: “ . . . a great deal of satisfaction.”
That was professor emeritus in the Department of Textiles and Fashion Design at the University Nebraska Lincoln Patricia Cox-Crews, the founding director emeritus of the International Center for Quilt Study at UNL. Cox-Crews and the center’s curator of collections are the authors of the book, “American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760-1870.”
