Iowa City Tattoo holds Planned Parenthood fundraiser

IOWA CITY - Laura Shorey says her new tattoo represents 'equal rights for all people, which I firmly believe in.”

She got the tattoo - an equality symbol shaded bright yellow - on Monday evening at Iowa City Tattoo from shop owner Jeffry Betts. In doing so, she also triggered a donation by the shop to Planned Parenthood as part of a monthlong promotion to raise money for the organization, funding for which has been the target of conservative state and federal lawmakers.

The money Shorey, 33, of Iowa City, paid for her tattoo is part of roughly $3,500 already given by the shop, 393 E. College St.

'Funding is a challenge obviously for Planned Parenthood,” said Anne Marsh, a tattooer at the shop. 'It's important, I think, to all of us. I've been there, know lots of people that have used it. And it provides an important resource for people who might not have access to health care otherwise.”

Planned Parenthood officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

A bill in Iowa's Legislature that would cut funding for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland passed out of the Senate this session but has yet to be voted on the by the House. The bill would create a state-funded program that would prevent providers who perform abortions from receiving a type of Medicaid funding reserved for family planning services.

On a national level, congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump have pledged to try to defund Planned Parenthood, making it ineligible for federal grants and barring Medicaid patients from getting their care there.

Marsh said the inspiration for Iowa City Tattoo's Planned Parenthood fundraiser came after seeing other tattoo shops around the country hold similar benefits, especially for Standing Rock protesters.

The tattoo artists at the shop created two sheets of predesigned tattoos from which customers can choose with proceeds benefiting Planned Parenthood. The tattoos cost $40 at the shop's kickoff event on March 4 and $60 since. The tattoos range from symbols of social justice and women's rights to some 'goofy” ones, Marsh said.

The most popular tattoos for clients have been the Venus symbol with forget-me-not flowers and the equality symbol, Betts said. Most recently, Marsh said she's been doing quite a few rainbow hearts.

Charlotte Elsasser, a University of Iowa student from Iowa City, chose to get an alien on the back of her arm. She said it was the option most like her tattoo style and it fits with space-themed tattoos she hopes to get in the future.

Elsasser, 19, said she's hoping the tattoo will start conversations about issues like Planned Parenthood with family members when she visits them in the future.

'I've always supported women's rights,” Elsasser said. 'I'll definitely be proud to have this on my body.”

Although the shop's donations to Planned Parenthood wrap up at the end of the month, Marsh said she hopes the program sends the message that employees want people to feel safe and comfortable and for them to know that Iowa City Tattoo also supports the community.

'Generally speaking, keeping Planned Parenthood afloat keeps women and men - it provides screenings, preventive care for both men and women - healthier,” Marsh said. 'It's important for us to support it and keep it around.”

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