1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing in response to your June 29, 2025 letter regarding Medicaid and Planned Parenthood. While I appreciate your engagement with constituents, I must respond directly to the misleading and disproven claims repeated in your remarks about Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue donation. You referenced your 2015 investigation and suggested that Planned Parenthood may have violated federal law regarding the sale of fetal tissue. This assertion is misleading. Multiple credible investigations—including those conducted by state governments in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania, as well as a review by the Department of Health and Human Services—found no evidence that Planned Parenthood engaged in the illegal sale of fetal tissue. The allegations originated from heavily edited and discredited videos released by a partisan organization, not from legitimate whistleblowers or law enforcement. Your referral of materials to the Department of Justice in 2016 was noted. However, after nearly a decade, the DOJ has not brought charges against Planned Parenthood or substantiated the accusations you have continued to promote. That outcome is not due to inaction, but rather to a lack of evidence of wrongdoing. It is also misleading to refer to a “trade in aborted fetal body parts,” a phrase that stokes public fear while ignoring the reality: fetal tissue research is legal, ethical, and tightly regulated under federal law. Planned Parenthood voluntarily ceased its participation in fetal tissue donation programs in 2015—despite its legality—due to the manufactured political controversy you continue to cite. Additionally, your suggestion that community health centers could simply replace Planned Parenthood clinics ignores on-the-ground realities. Numerous studies, including those published in peer-reviewed journals and government reports, have shown that community health centers do not have the capacity, specialization, or accessibility to fully absorb the services provided by Planned Parenthood—especially for reproductive health. As an elected official, it is your responsibility to represent facts, not amplify misinformation. Disinformation about health care providers undermines public trust, jeopardizes access to essential services, and endangers vulnerable patients—especially those who rely on Medicaid, Title X, or reproductive health care in rural and underserved communities. I urge you to reconsider your approach and to prioritize fact-based policymaking that protects access to comprehensive health care—including reproductive care—for all Iowans.