Devastating 6 Week Abortion Ban Heads to Idaho Senate Floor
For Immediate Release: Feb. 16, 2022
SB 1309 would eliminate nearly all abortion care in the state, making essential health care inaccessible for many Idahoans.
BOISE, ID — Idaho lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a dangerous six-week near-total ban on abortion that encourages Idahoans to spy on their family members and sue abortion providers with the goal of eliminating access to abortion care. SB 1309 passed out of committee this morning and now awaits a vote by the Idaho Senate. The bill, modeled directly after Texas’ extreme abortion ban, is designed explicitly to avoid legal challenges after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Texas law to go into effect.
The future of abortion access in Idaho is directly at stake. Texas’s ban eliminated 60 percent of abortions within one month of going into effect. Idaho’s extremist lawmakers are hoping for the same results with SB 1309.
“Idaho politicians are doing everything they can to bypass our constitutional rights and eliminate abortion access in our state,” said Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Idaho State Director Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman. “Restricting access to essential health care is dangerous, irresponsible, and cruel. We are doing everything in our power to stop this bill and remain committed to protecting the rights and safety of pregnant people across Idaho.”
Throughout the week, opponents of SB 1309 sent over 3,600 letters to members of the Senate State Affairs Committee, urging them to vote against the ban. During this morning’s hearing, lawmakers heard testimony from patients, providers, and advocates articulating the importance of abortion access in Idaho. Still, committee members blatantly ignored their constituents’ interests and voted to pass the bill out of committee.
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Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Serving AK, HI, ID, IN, KY, WA (PPAA) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization educating residents and policymakers about reproductive health issues in Alaska, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky and Washington. PPAA lobbies and educates to advance Planned Parenthood's mission, and engages in limited electoral activities.