Dangerous SB 1243 and HB 638 Sent to Governor Otter’s Desk
Contact:
Mistie Tolman, Idaho Public Affairs Manager, (208) 861-4371;
Katie Rogers, Communications Manager, (206) 595-0426
For Immediate Release: March 15, 2018 (Updated: March 15, 2018, 12:07 a.m.)
Governor Has Until Next Week to Decide Whether to Place Unprecedented Barriers on Reproductive Health Care in Idaho
BOISE – This week, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii (PPVNH) condemns Idaho legislators for passing two disastrous anti-abortion bills out of the legislature. Senate Bill 1243 requires the Department of Health and Welfare to require providers to tell a patient where they can obtain assistance in locating a health care provider with whom they can consult about reversing a medication abortion, an unproven procedure with no basis in science. House Bill 638, The Abortion Complications Reporting Act will require that medical providers report any medical complications that their patients may have following an abortion – anything from blood clots to breast cancer. A requirement that doesn’t exist for any other health condition. Both bills are headed to Governor Otter’s desk where he has between now and early next week to decide whether to enact laws with no basis in science or medicine.
During Idaho’s 2018 legislative session, there were three bills aimed specifically at restricting access to reproductive health care. These two bills directly attack women and families and specifically target Planned Parenthood.
Statement from Mistie Tolman, Idaho Legislative Director at PPVNH:
“These are reckless bills and demonstrate exactly why legislators need to leave the practice of medicine to medical professionals. In Idaho and across the country, women deserve the freedom and privacy to make the private decisions that are best for themselves and their families. These bill hurts women and prevents doctors from being able to give their patients medical care. No woman should have to face the impossible situation of being unable to end a pregnancy for illogical medical reasons. These bills interfere with a woman’s ability to control her own body. If the last year has shown us anything, it’s that people want policymakers working to improve health care access and rights for women, not take them away. Women deserve better leadership from our elected officials.”