Most Iowans support Kim Reynolds’ prescription-free birth control plan, Iowa Poll finds

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A strong majority of Iowans support Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to allow pharmacies to sell birth control without a prescription, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Legislation being considered by state lawmakers would allow Iowans age 18 and older to purchase certain forms of birth control, such as pills, birth control patches and vaginal rings, without first seeing a doctor. The bill does not include drugs intended to induce an abortion.

Prescription-free birth control in Iowa has been a longtime legislative priority of Iowa’s Republican governor, who first proposed the legislation in 2019. But the issue has divided Republicans at the Iowa Legislature and, so far, a bill has yet to reach Reynolds’ desk for her signature.

The Iowa Poll found that nearly 8 in 10 Iowans, 79%, support making birth control pills available without a prescription in the state.

Nineteen percent of Iowans oppose it, and 3% aren’t sure.

The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Feb. 25-28 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Provisions of the bill that state lawmakers are considering, House File 2584, would allow pharmacists to dispense an initial three-month supply of birth control and a 12-month supply after that.

It also requires pharmacists to screen patients, and states that patients must see a physician within 27 months after a pharmacist dispenses the birth control.

The bill also was recently amended by a House committee to require insurance companies to cover birth control dispensed without a prescription.

Reynolds’ bill has passed a key legislative deadline this session but has not received a floor vote.

Prescription-free birth control wins support across political divides

The Iowa Poll found prescription-free birth control earns the support of a majority of Iowans across the political spectrum. Results among independents closely mirror the state as a whole, with 80% in favor and 18% opposed.

Seventy percent of Republicans favor the policy, compared with 27% who oppose it.

The overwhelming majority of Democrats, 90%, support the policy, with 9% opposed.

Jessica Allen, a registered Democrat and poll respondent who agreed to a follow-up interview, supports the proposal. She takes birth control pills to help manage symptoms of endometriosis, a disorder that causes painful cramps each month.

The 43-year-old stay-at-home mother from Des Moines believes birth control pills should be more accessible because they are safe and effective. And she thinks the birth control available under the policy does not require strict oversight of a doctor.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a justification to control (birth control pills),” Allen said. “It makes sense that the autonomy argument should win out, because there aren’t really that many dangers that I’m aware of.”

The Iowa Poll found some modest variation in support based on age: 83% of Iowans younger than 45 favor the proposal, compared with 15% who are opposed.

Among those Iowans 45 and older, 75% support it, and 22% are opposed.

The issue has received support from some Republican lawmakers in recent years as they have considered legislation, with supporters arguing that increased access to birth control would be an important tool in reducing abortion.

Some faith-based groups oppose prescription-free birth control

Several faith-based anti-abortion groups oppose the idea, arguing it may still lead to unintended pregnancies.

Poll respondent Jason Salts, a 56-year-old cargo pilot, echoed those concerns, saying he doesn’t believe there’s evidence to support the claim that allowing access to birth control without a prescription would reduce abortions.

The registered Republican from Altoona said without clear instructions and warnings from a doctor, more patients may not understand factors that could make birth control less effective. That could lead to more unintended pregnancies and abortions, he argued.

“They're going to take those pills thinking, ‘hey, I'm good to go’ and the first time they take antibiotics or something else that makes it ineffective — because young people don’t always read the instructions — we’re going to find a lot more young Iowans with babies,” Salts said.

With abortion facing an uncertain legal future in Iowa, poll respondent Dave Tucker, a self-identified independent from Ames, said women in Iowa should have another tool to help them navigate the current political landscape.

The Iowa Supreme Court is expected to release its decision by the end of June on whether Iowa’s abortion ban, which outlaws the procedure after about 6 weeks of pregnancy, should go into effect. State lawmakers passed the ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.

“I believe that in this world today that a lot of women are encountering a lot of new restrictions that they've never had to deal with before,” said Tucker, a 59-year-old partner at a venture capital firm. “ I fundamentally believe in letting them make the choices and decisions rather than having something legislated.”

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at [email protected], at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.

About the Iowa Poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted Feb. 25-28, 2024, for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 804 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Dynata. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age, sex and congressional district to reflect the general population based on recent American Community Survey estimates.

Questions based on the sample of 804 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit and, on digital platforms, links to originating content on The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Most Iowans support prescription-free birth control, Iowa Poll finds