Wahls will fight for Iowans’ rights

Iowans deserve a U.S. senator who clearly and consistently supports a woman’s freedom to make her own health care decisions.

Josh Turek’s record in the Iowa Legislature shows a lack of leadership. Turek voted to advance Kim Reynolds’ 2023 “crisis pregnancy center” bill which quadrupled taxpayer funding for fake clinics designed to pressure, mislead, and shame women instead of providing real medical care. Josh Turek missed multiple votes on the Republicans’ near-total abortion ban and the fetal personhood bill; and he missed voting on a bill requiring public school students to watch a misleading anti-abortion video.

Before deciding to run for Senate, Turek was the only Democrat in the Iowa Legislature who had not sponsored a single bill to protect women’s reproductive rights. Iowa women can’t afford weak leadership in the U.S. Senate.

Zach Wahls is a proven leader who has introduced or cosponsored 28 bills to defend women’s health and reproductive freedom — because he understands that politicians have no business in the exam room. This topic is deeply personal for me. Had the laws in 1991 been what they are today, I likely would have died while my ruptured ectopic pregnancy was discussed in the emergency room.

The choice is clear: if you want a U.S. senator who will fight to protect our rights, vote for Zach Wahls.

Melissa O’Rourke

Rural Decorah