(Storm Lake)– Planned Parenthood of Iowa plans to appeal a ruling in Buena Vista County District Court to turn over pregenancy
records at its Storm Lake clinic.
This week, district judge Frank Nelson ruled the agency must turn over by August 17th records requested by the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department. The records are being sought in connection with the investigation of a newborn
baby, discovered May 30th at the Harold Rowley Recycling Center south of Storm Lake. The department has requested the names, addresses, and birth dates of women whose pregnancy tests were positive at the Storm Lake clinic between August 15th and May 30th. Planned Parenthood says about one-thousand tests were done during that time.
Nelson this week ruled the Planned Parenthood apparently considers itself and its personnel to be above the law…and not required to respond to a valid subpeona. Nelson noted the organization hasn’t filed a motion to quash the subpeona.
Planned Parenthood official Jill June says they will appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court as soon as possible. They’re fighting the order…saying the records are confidential.
The sheriff’s department continues to investigate the newborn infant, but so far have had few leads in the case. An autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner’s office determined the infant was a boy, and investigators say they
think it had been born 24 to 48 hours before it was found at the recycling center. However, they still don’t know whether the baby was alive at the time it was put into the recycling.
