Enacted as trigger-law when Roe v. Wade fell, Idaho has a Total Abortion Ban in place. This ban and associated laws are among the cruelest, most restrictive bans in the nation.

Cruel and extreme

The state bans all abortions, with up to five years in prison for anyone who performs one or assists. 

No medical exception to protect the health of the mother. The only exception is to save the mother’s life. A pregnant person with a dangerous pregnancy complication or incomplete miscarriage must be a death’s door before an abortion is performed.

The rape and incest exceptions are hard to near impossible to access. They require police reports – for crimes that are traumatic and already difficult to prove in Idaho. A survivor may not want to go through this process which can re-traumatize them – or the survivor may be a minor, unable to access help without a guardian who, in the case of incest, may be their rapist. 

As a result of the bans:

• Idaho has lost 22% of their OB/GYNs since the bans were enacted
• Three maternity wards in the state have closed in Bonner, Emmett and Caldwell.
• Pregnant women are being regularly airlifted out of state for emergency care and many others are forced to give birth or travel out of state for care
• Idaho has been mired in multiple court cases – costing tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars:
  • Emergency abortion care — EMTALA (Idaho/Moyle v. US), 
  • Idaho’s “travel ban” making it criminal to transport a minor to another state for abortion (NWAAF v. Labrador),  
  • The university “gag order” on speaking about abortion and contraception as part of the No Funds for Abortion Act (Idaho Federation of Teachers  v. Labrador), and 
  • Doctors right to talk about abortion w/ patients (Planned Parenthood v. Labrador)
• The Supreme Court recently allowed Idaho doctors to perform abortions in emergencies — but this is only a temporary ruling.

Idahoans do NOT support the abortion bans:

• 58% of Idahoans favor changing the state’s current abortion laws —Idaho Capital Sun
• IDUWF polling (PDF):
• 69% believe we should not impose our views of abortion on others
• 78% would support a woman seeking an abortion, even if they did not agree with her decision
• 82% of Idahoans believe abortion should be an option when the mother’s life is at risk
• 89% support the right to medical and sexual privacy
  

Abortion bans are dangerous and cruel.
And they are bad for Idaho.

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One of the most powerful actions we can take is at the ballot box by voting for pro-choice candidates. Many of those candidates lost during the Nov. 5 election. But there will be opportunities ahead to make a big difference — and when abortion rights are directly on the ballot they tend to win, even in traditionally red states.