My Peculiar Hobby

I have an odd little hobby. Every year, starting in the middle of January, I obsessively log on to the Iowa Legislature’s website and pore over all the bills that our Congress Critters file over the course of the session. I look for the ones I find interesting or noteworthy — both good and bad — and rant about them to my friends. I do occasionally get some sideways glances as people slowly back away, but it is for your own good.

I tend to concentrate on a few broad categories: church/state separation and Christian privilege, Constitutional encroachments, bigotry, racism, voting rights, — basically anything a good humanist ought to care about.

As they say, all politics is local. If you don’t know what is happening in the Capitol building, your Congress Critters will bite you in the ass because you weren’t paying attention.

Anyway, it’s that time of year. It’s the first week of the session and oh boy, have I got a doozy to kick things off.

House File 2026, introduced by Holly Brink, a Republican from Mahaska County. This bill is “An Act relating to requirements for physicians providing services at an ambulatory surgical center, and providing penalties.” https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/88/HF2026.pdf

HF 2026 requires all physicians providing surgical services at Ambulatory Surgical Centers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Well that sounds innocuous. It sounds like Ms. Brink only cares about patient safety. Who could possibly object to that?

Well I do.

This bill is about abortion and nothing else. It is about eliminating access to safe abortion services and reproductive health care. It is about making it too expensive for Planned Parenthood and related clinics to function in the State of Iowa. It is a TRAP law: Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. I’ve seen similar laws pop up in other states in recent years, but this one is unusual in that it doesn’t say the word “abortion” anywhere. Not once. It is sneaky and clever, and it’s author clearly hopes that no one will pay close enough attention to realize it’s true purpose until they’ve sent it to the Governor.

Abortion is incredibly safe. Complications requiring hospital admission occur in 0.3% of all abortions. Simply carrying a pregnancy to term carries 14 times more risk to the mother than that. But reproductive health clinics tend to be controversial and frequently in the news. Hospitals don’t like that. Physicians who serve abortion clinics are kept at arms length and rarely given admitting privileges. That is what makes this a TRAP law.

Call your State Legislators and tell them not to support this bill. If they are Republican, tell them you see through their ruse. If they are Democrats, make sure they know that this bill is an anti-choice TRAP law and urge them do everything they can to shut it down.

Register to vote, folks. Attend your caucuses if you can. And vote next November. Bills like this one are the price you will pay if you don’t.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair

Gather Round, All Ye Heathen of the Corn, and Hear My Words...

Or not. There are no corn-based, angry, red-eyed gods making you do anything around here.

I’d like to introduce myself and welcome everyone to the shiny, brand-spanking-new website of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers — and to this blog, Heathen of the Corn. My name is Robert Cook, and I am the Activism Chair of IAF. This blog is where I (and others — I’m certainly not doing this all by myself) will talk about atheist and humanist related news, update you on IAF events, and inspire you to feats of activism and kindness.

I see ACES as the core philosophy of this blog. ACES — Activism, Community, Education, and Social — is a program devised by American Atheists and adopted by IAF. It is a way to grow IAF membership by focusing on the needs of the diverse community of atheists, freethinkers, and humanists where we live.

The goals of the ACES program are:

1. Grow and sustain a broad base of support and membership by appealing to the diverse

community of atheists in your community.

2. Increase the visibility of your group by engaging in high-impact activism and

partnering with other local groups to accomplish activism goals.

3. Combat negative stereotypes about atheists and atheism by demonstrating your

involvement in your community through service, community building, collaboration, and educational programs.

4. Expand the scope and reach of your group by building and maintaining a large and diverse membership and a network of community partners and allies.
5. Increase the financial stability of your group by growing membership, utilizing corporate matching or rewards programs, and other revenue streams.

As I said, I am the Activism Chair. The other Chairs are: Bill Shackleford, Education. Joyce Shackleford, Community. And Kai Gillespie, Social.

I love the ACES program. I accepted the Activism Chair a almost a year ago because I want to make the world a better place before I die, at least better than it would be if I had never lived. It feels like the world is catching on fire all around me. Theocrats were — and are still — gaining more power in this country than I have ever seen in my lifetime. They encroach on my ability to live as a non-believer a little more every day even as the population of Nones grows to unprecedented numbers.

We have to do something folks. We have to push back, organize, educate ourselves, and take advantage of our numbers to preserve our rights, lives, and livelihoods. I joined Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers to make a difference, and ACES is our strategic plan to make that difference a reality.

That is the vision I have for the Heathen of the Corn and for Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers. If you feel the same way, please join IAF and help us make Iowa, the United States, and the world a better place.

And thanks for checking out this blog, even if you don’t have a supernatural horror looking over your shoulder.

By Robert Cook

Activism Chair