Des Moines, Iowa — Sheldon native, Bob Vander Platts, the president and CEO of The Family Leader says candidates should be clear about their position on abortion, and not just react to polling on the issue.
Groups on both sides of the abortion debate are staging events to mark the one year anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade. During an event in Des Moines Wednesday night, The Family Leader officials were joined by officials from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America in calling on Republican presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa to support nationwide restrictions on abortion.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who ran for president in 2016, also spoke at the event. Graham says the current group of GOP candidates need to at least say they support what he’s proposed: a nationwide ban on abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.
Graham says states shouldn’t have free rein to decide their abortion laws. The Iowa Interfaith Alliance and other groups that support abortion rights will hold a midday event in Des Moines Friday. On Saturday, Pulse Life Advocates is hosting an Iowa March for Life rally on the Iowa Capitol steps. On Saturday night, there’s a concert in Cedar Rapids to raise money for the Iowa Abortion Access Fund and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City.
