As Iowa Republicans focus legislation solely on culture wars, Iowa’s pressing issues are unveiled while the priorities of the people, specifically the youth, are being ignored.
With the absence of a Democratic chamber in Iowa politics, the Republican party has the responsibility to keep themselves in check. In the past, the ideological balance has kept political parties from turning to the extreme. However, in the past seven years, after taking a majority of the House and Senate, Iowa Republicans have spent more time restricting liberties rather than cultivating them.
Iowa’s GOP has failed to address the fact that Iowa’s drinking water is among the most contaminated drinking water in the nation. They have failed to address increasing suicide rates, rising deaths related to guns, sky rocketing obesity rates, falling life expectancies, failing mental health services and declining education ranking.
Rather than addressing prominent issues causing harm to Iowans, Republicans have spent the last two years passing 60+ bills targeting those identifying in the LGBTQ+ community, many of which have now been signed into law. Some of the most celebrated legislation include bans on gender-affirming health care, the use of school bathrooms that align with gender identity and preventing drag performance or any performance where someone is expressing gender identity.
In the same time period, extreme anti LGBTQ+ bills were passed. Iowa republicans have also managed to pass a six week abortion ban, loosen child labor laws and continue to underfund public education. Some lawmakers even attempted to ban gay marriage.
Senior Kelly Wu has developed strong feelings towards legislation targeting LGBTQ+ students in the classroom. “Iowa Republicans have been too focused on pushing forward an agenda in classrooms, failing to consider how their legislation is affecting education. Banning books with LGBTQ+ representation through the excuse of ‘sexual content’ causes other books to be removed as well, with classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and 1984 being pulled from curriculums throughout Iowa last year,” Wu continued. “Some legislation directly targets trans kids, such as requiring parents to be informed of name changes. School is supposed to be a safe place for people to express themselves but legislators have been working to take that away from LGBTQ+ youth.”
With the emergence of extreme conservative views shaping the state government, funding for educational institutions has dissolved, specifically towards public institutions. Once highly successful, competitive institutions can no longer maintain their level of excellence.
Iowa is ranked in the top 18 states with the strictest education regulations. House File 802, featured on Iowa’s legislature’s website, prohibits informing students that Iowa, the U.S government have ever been systematically oppressive. The file prohibits instructing that anyone should feel guilt or shame for the systematically racist background the nation and state possesses. Likewise, Iowa legislation has restricted the teaching of topics that could be labeled as “divisive” such as critical race theory, equality and inclusion.
Focused on implementing their extreme agenda, Iowa conservative extremists have driven residents out of the state, specifically those college-educated. Known as Iowa’s brain drain—the large departure of educated individuals to other states—the state is losing far more college graduates than it is retaining. Iowa is ranked the 10th worst state in the nation for the number of college graduates it produces and the number of graduates residing in the state. Iowa stands at a concerning negative 36 percent retention rate of college graduates.
Senior Estelle Treiber has taken notice of the significant amount of students wanting to pursue future endeavors outside of Iowa’s borders. “I’ve noticed a lot of my peers wanting to leave Iowa for college and I think it has to do with the political climate and what has been a heavy right shift in the party system here. Therefore the younger generation is trying to move to various locations out of state that may have beliefs that better align with their own,” Treiber expressed.
Harsh conservative legislation passed in Iowa has dwindled opportunities for the younger generation to thrive within the state. The cruel political climate has forced moderate voters, LGBTQ+ community members and college-educated individuals out of the state. Iowa has pushed away people who don’t agree with the current extreme conservative values.
Christinna Bohannan, Iowa state Representative for the 85th district and Democratic candidate for Congress, voices her opinion on the migration of young people out of state. “So many young people are leaving Iowa, in part because of hateful laws and in part because they believe they have better opportunities elsewhere. I have a 22 year-old daughter and have taught thousands of Iowa students. I care deeply about the future of our young people here. I am running for Congress to create great career opportunities, welcoming communities and a good quality of life for young adults and families. I am running to make Iowa the kind of place that young people will be proud to call home” said Bohannan.
The Iowa Republican party turned away from the people and turned towards becoming a party of destruction.
With Republican’s unchecked power rapidly taking control, Iowan residents are being deprived of obtaining proper education, proper health care and most concerning exercising their human rights. Democracy has no room to flourish under such harsh conditions.
