Iowans will now have a new online tool to find the nearest clinic that offers abortions.
Planned Parenthood launched the new online database, called the "Abortion Care Finder." In addition to help locate clinics, it also provides information about abortion options based on state regulations and requirements and how far along they are in their pregnancy.
Erin Davison-Rippey, the executive director for Planned Parenthood in Iowa, said it will help people understand their options at a time when abortion laws are becoming increasingly complex.
"It can be hard for folks to know what their options are, you know, based on where they're located, how far along they are in their pregnancy and their age," Davison-Rippey said, "and so this tool helps to navigate those those restrictions."
She said the tool could also help eliminate misconceptions.
"In Iowa, we were one of the first states where our state legislature passed a six-week abortion ban," she said. "That law has been overturned by the courts, but sometimes folks don't realize that that was overturned by the courts and may think that that law is in effect."
A Polk County judge struck down Iowa's 'fetal heartbeat" abortion law in January. The law would have banned abortions in most cases after a heartbeat was detected, which can be as early as six weeks of pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood operates eight clinics in Iowa. The online tool is available on the organization's website.
