Election 2024: Giant inflatable IUD reappears, put candidates on alert about women’s issues
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - A 20 foot tall inflatable IUD named “Freeda Womb” made it second swing through the Hawkeye State Monday. Americans for Contraception previously made stops with the inflatable in the state in early August.
Organizers say that access to contraception at the state and federal level is at risk, and they hope to call attention to what they perceive as threats to access to contraception.
Allison Smith with the Iowa Family Planning Council said, “Without access, countless people face unintended pregnancies and painful chronic medical conditions, which can have profound impacts on their lives, families, and communities.”
Lanon Baccam is the Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Congressman Zach Nunn in central Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
When Nunn was a state legislator, he voted for a bill similar to the one that became state law after he was sworn in to Congress.
“He has spent his political career trying to ban abortion in Iowa and he got exactly what he wanted with a near-total abortion ban in this state. We cannot trust him to protect IVF or contraception either. He will go after these components if given then chance,” Baccam said.
Baccam says he’s on board with finding ways to lower the cost for IVF treatments, but didn’t offer specifics.
“I mean, I think it’s clear for us to make sure that we find ways for families to choose when and how they start and finding easier ways for them to do that, it’s going to be important for us to pay attention to for sure,” he said.
Baccam was also asked about making birth control available without a prescription. “I think, for women who want to access contraception, we should find more ways for them to access it, absolutely,” he said.
After the press conference, we reached out to the Nunn Campaign.
The campaign says Nunn does not support a national abortion ban, and that he favors letting states decide.
Nunn says he supports IVF, and has introduced legislation to require private health insurance plans to cover infertility treatments such as IVF. He also co-sponsored a bill by Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson that would allow patients 18 or older to access birth control over the counter.
Neither bills have made it out of a committee to be voted on by the full House yet.
No more stops are planned in Iowa for Freeda Womb this time. Organizers are headed to Wisconsin next.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
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