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Iowa News You Can Use

WATCH: Iowa’s maternal health care crisis, explained

By Amie Rivers

June 28, 2025

Iowa is in a maternal health crisis.

With one of the most restrictive abortion policies in the country since the overturning of Roe v. Wade (three years ago this week), clinics and hospitals are having a hard time recruiting OB-GYNs.

Iowa’s year-old statewide abortion ban prohibits most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they’re pregnant.

Dr. Karla Solheim reflects on Iowa’s maternal health care scene since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned the decades-long protections for women that were secured from Roe v. Wade.

  • Amie Rivers

    Amie Rivers is Starting Line's community editor, labor reporter and newsletter snarker-in-chief. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes. Send all story tips and pet photos to [email protected] and sign up for our newsletter here.

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO

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POLITICS VIDEO
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WATCH: Iowa becomes first state to strip trans civil rights (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #31

WATCH: Iowa becomes first state to strip trans civil rights (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #31

Iowa makes devastating history this week—becoming the first state ever to strip away existing civil rights protections from transgender residents.

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Toss some bags about Trump’s stop at the Iowa fairgrounds… officials debunk water safety rumors amid the ongoing nitrate crisis and a conversation with Democrat Christina Bohannan.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
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… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 – Zach’s “Par Excellence” Pun Disaster – Tech Out of There Falls Flat
02:49 – Iowa’s Historic Civil Rights Rollback – First State to Strip Existing Trans Protections
04:00 – The Energy of Hope – Trans Community and Allies Unite at State Capitol
06:30 – Beyond Civil Rights – Birth Certificate Changes and “Gender Theory” Language
08:00 – Project 2025 Playbook – Scapegoating as Fascism Facilitation
10:00 – Hope for the Future – Protests Matter, Continued Advocacy Essential

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WATCH: Trump’s federal cuts target Ottumwa Job Corps site

WATCH: Trump’s federal cuts target Ottumwa Job Corps site

The Trump administration wants to cut Job Corps programs across the country, which will leave a big gap in Ottumwa’s community.

Learn more about it on the latest episode of Cornhole Champions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzECAsvY2wI

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