Des Moines, IA — Today, 31 groups representing tens of thousands of Iowa residents sent a letter to the Iowa House, calling on the chamber to stop Bayer’s Cancer Gag Act, which would shield pesticide corporations from health related lawsuits. The legislation passed the Senate last week by a tight vote of 26-21. The bill has not yet been introduced in the House; the target end date for the state legislative session is May 2.

The letter says, “While agribusiness interests and pesticide manufacturers seek to protect profit, Iowans are suffering. Iowa ranks number one for the fastest growing rate of new cancers and is second in cancer incidence overall… One in 20 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. This statistic will leave few Iowans untouched – these are our families, our neighbors and our friends.”

Food & Water Watch Iowa Organizer Michaelyn Mankel, an organizer of the letter said:

“Iowans seeking answers to our rising cancer rates are united in our opposition to Bayer’s Cancer Gag Act. This cruel bill is no more than a ploy to protect private profits at the public’s expense — it is a wildly unpopular response to the public health reckoning Iowa faces. The House must put an end to this insanity and stop Bayer’s Cancer Gag Act now.”

At a press conference earlier this week, legislators joined advocates in calling on House leadership to vote the bill down.

Rep. Megan Srinivas, MD MPH said: “Iowa’s cancer rates are climbing, yet some lawmakers and lobbying groups are more focused on protecting corporations rather than protecting our farmers and families. We should be investing in research, early detection, and tackling the risks fueling this crisis—not siding with corporate interests over Iowans’ lives.”

Recent polling from the Iowa Association for Justice found that 89% of Iowa voters oppose pesticide immunity legislation, including 87% of Republican respondents. In February, more than 150 people rallied in the Capitol against the legislation. Meanwhile, pesticide giant Bayer’s “Modern Ag Alliance” front group has spent at least $180,484 flooding the airwaves with over 2,100 radio, social media and online ads supporting the bill so far this year; a 139% increase over 2024 spending.

Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO President Charlie Wishman said: “Workers of any kind shouldn’t ever have to choose between earning a living for their families or risk getting cancer, yet that’s what the majority in the legislature is doing. We’ve tackled and ended these practices before throughout our history, it’s time to stop putting everyone from farmworkers to landscapers at risk by caving to corporate greed and prioritizing that over human lives.”

Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman said: “Studies prove that farming is one of the most dangerous professions. Our farm families are exposed to any number of risks that are inherent in the job of producing food for our communities, our state, and our country. We proudly dedicate our lives and our livelihood to the task and take responsibility for our actions — we don’t need to hide behind a label to protect us from our responsibilities. We’re deeply disappointed that Iowa Senators chose to protect chemical companies from their responsibility to provide the safest products they can and chose to take away an important tool farmers and all Iowans have to hold those companies accountable. Iowa law should protect our farmers and our communities instead of pesticide companies.”

Iowa Faith & Climate Network Executive Director Deaconess Irene DeMaris said: “Iowa Faith & Climate Network envisions a world where people of diverse faith and spirituality work together towards a healthy, just, and sustainable future for all. SF 394 undermines this vision by stripping farmers, workers, and families of their right to seek justice when harmful pesticides threaten their health and livelihoods. As people of faith, we believe in ensuring that all Iowans, regardless of wealth or status, have the right to hold corporations accountable. I urge lawmakers to stand for justice, protect our communities, and oppose SF 394.”

Iowa CCI Action Organizer Ava Auen-Ryan said: “The unfortunate reality is that too many Iowans and their loved ones have been impacted by cancer. We need our legislators to prioritize policies that reduce the risk factors that contribute to the high cancer rates in Iowa, not carry water for giant chemical manufacturers. We don’t want Bayer or any other multinational corporation writing the rules in Iowa. That’s why we’re urging members of the Iowa House to stop this bill.”

Environmental Law & Policy Center Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum said: “Granting pesticide companies immunity from legal liability undermines the accountability our legal system provides. Immunity would strip away the rights of individuals to seek justice and hold corporations responsible for the harm their products may cause.”

Rob Faux, Iowa farmer, Communications Manager for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network and cancer survivor said: “If passed, this bill would give pesticide companies a license to deceive for any future products registered for use with the EPA. When the rare situation occurs that a pesticide company loses a lawsuit, the deciding factor is that the company withheld information from the EPA or failed to address a known risk so the EPA could adjust the pesticide use label. This law would provide lawsuit immunity for every pesticide company for every pesticide product. It would not matter how accurate the use label is or how dangerous the product might be. In all cases, the pesticide company would have lawsuit immunity and Iowans could no longer hold them accountable for harms that could have been prevented. The Iowa I want to live in stands with its people, not multi-national, multi-billion dollar pesticide companies. Our legislators need to remember who they serve.”

Bayer’s push to limit liability comes as the corporation has spent over $11 billion settling more than 100,000 cancer lawsuits related to their Roundup product, whose active ingredient glyphosate is under investigation as a possible carcinogen. Roundup is widely used in Iowa: In any given year, more than half the state is covered in the pesticide. Similar Bayer-backed legislative proposals are facing an uphill battle in state capitols across the country, including proposals in Wyoming and Mississippi which died in committee this spring.