Des Moines, IA — As Iowa’s second-in-the-nation cancer ranking sparks debate about the role of industrial agriculture in driving disease, legislators have introduced the Cancer Gag Act, Senate Study Bill 1051. The bill is backed by pesticide giant Bayer-Monsanto, and industry lobbyists including the Iowa Soybean Association, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, and Iowa Corn Growers Association. A similar bill failed to pass last year.

The legislation would shield pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits related to the health impacts of their products. In 2020, Bayer-Monsanto paid $10 billion to settle thousands of cancer lawsuits related to their Roundup pesticide product, whose active ingredient glyphosate is currently under investigation as a possible carcinogen and is widely used in Iowa.

Food & Water Watch Iowa Organizer Michaelyn Mankel issued the following statement:

“Industrial agriculture is making us sick, and Iowans know it. For years, pesticide corporations like Bayer have been profiting while Iowa’s cancer rates rise — now, they want to silence those bold enough to speak out. Iowans need legislative leadership strong enough to stand up to these corrupting corporate interests. Pesticide giants need to play by the same rules as the rest of us, and take responsibility for their actions.

“The Cancer Gag Act must be dead on arrival. We need real solutions to Iowa’s health crises, not more corporate bailouts.”

Similar legislation has been introduced in Congress and statehouses nationwide as part of a coordinated push to limit corporate agricultural accountability.