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Constitutional Rights and the Public’s Health

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc. v. Reynolds

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Overview

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Inc. v. Reynolds (Iowa Supreme Court, June 30, 2021): Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) challenged an Iowa statute excluding abortion providers from receiving federal education grant program funds aimed at preventing teenage pregnancies and reducing transmission of sexually transmitted infections. PPH argued the law was unconstitutional, citing equal protection and due process violations. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the law, reversing a lower court decision finding the law unconstitutional. The court held that the statute does not violate PPH’s equal protection rights because the distinction between abortion providers and non-abortion providers is rationally related to the law’s purpose: choosing the speakers delivering educational messages. Additionally, since PPH does not have a “freestanding due process right” to provide abortions, the law does not violate PPH’s due process interests. Read the full decision here.

View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – August 16, 2021.

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