Clinic-reported gonorrhea cases per 100,000 people from 2010 to 2019 via JAMA Network
Sexually transmitted diseases and infections rose in four counties after a 2017 Iowa law forced abortion clinics there to close, according to a new research paper published in JAMA Network.
Driving the news: Defunding abortion clinics in Iowa resulted in a reduction of STD and STI services being available, possibly contributing to increased infections, the report says.
Of note: The lead author of the paper, Megan Srinivas, is a Democrat who recently won an Iowa House seat representing Des Moines.
Flashback: In 2017, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced it was closing clinics in Bettendorf, Burlington, Keokuk and Sioux City after the Iowa Legislature passed a bill that blocked public money from going to abortion providers, the Register reported.
Those clinics combined saw more than 14,600 patients over a three-year period.
State of play: The study examined chlamydia and gonorrhea cases between Iowa counties that did and didn’t close their clinics.
While there was an increase in infections statewide over that time period, gonorrhea rates doubled post-closures in the four counties.
The bottom line: Beyond clinic closures, a variety of factors have led to a surge in STD and STI rates nationwide, including decreased condom usage and increased needle sharing during the opioid crisis.
Discovered on: 2022-11-16 12:20:33
Source: Sexually transmitted diseases rise where abortion clinics closed in Iowa
