June 21, 2022

Des Moines, IA – Connie Ryan, Executive Director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, released the following statement regarding US Supreme Court’s decision on Carson v. Makin mandating public funds be used for private religious education choices:

"The US Supreme Court has harmed our nation’s commitment to religious freedom and maintaining a separation between religion and government. The Court’s decision in Carson v. Makin wrongfully mandates taxpayers to provide public funding for the private choice to attend private religious schools. The Court’s decision ignores the Establishment Clause of our First Amendment as well as one of our nation's founding principles to maintain a clear line of separation between religion and government.

"Subsidizing private religious education with public dollars is at the expense of the taxpayer and drains resources away from public schools that are open to all and serve the vast majority of children.

"The Court’s decision encourages the extreme agenda of the religious right to privatize education and undermine our public schools by diverting taxpayer dollars to pay for private religious education.

"The Court is wrong on the Carson v. Makin decision and our public school children will bear the burden for years to come."

June 17, 2022

Des Moines, IA – Connie Ryan, Executive Director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, released the following statement on today’s Iowa Supreme Court decision regarding the right to an abortion:

“Making decisions about your own body is as fundamental of an equal protection as it gets. What happens to your body, who has a say over your body, what kinds of medical procedure you endure, and who makes those decisions. It is as fundamental, and frankly sacred, a right that must be protected under law and the US and Iowa constitutions.

“We are profoundly disappointed in the decision today by Iowa’s highest court. In the end, Iowans lost.

“Let’s be clear. The court may have taken a sledgehammer to the rights of women and those who need abortion care, but the court will not stop the need or abortions. The court will only impact legal, timely abortions.

“Conservative, rightwing advocates --- and their followers in the Iowa Legislature, executive, and judicial branches --- have harmed the rights of Iowans today. But Iowans are not done and will have a say in this matter.

“Iowans of all faiths and beliefs believe in the right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom --- including legal, medically safe abortion. There is no question on that.

“The question is whether independent politicians will listen to Iowans, and whether the court truly believes in and advocates for equal protections under the law as written in Iowa’s sacred constitution, or not.”