Planned Parenthood Calls On Gov. Little to Veto HB 242
For Immediate Release: March 30, 2023
BOISE, ID — The Idaho legislature passed HB 242 today, the nation’s first bill creating the crime of “abortion trafficking,” which outlaws an adult assisting a young person accessing abortion care or obtaining abortion-inducing drugs. It will now go to Governor Little’s desk to sign into law.
The bill, which carries a penalty of two to five years of imprisonment, targets trusted adults, family members, and helpers who assist minors in accessing abortion and will have a chilling effect that is dangerous and irresponsible. It will undoubtedly impact those it aims to protect the most: high-risk children.
Research shows that the majority of young people facing an unexpected pregnancy do choose to involve their parents in their decision-making. Unfortunately, though, not all young people have a healthy relationship with their parents and forcing a young person to disclose their pregnancy to a parent can precipitate abuse, especially for already-vulnerable youth.
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
“Let’s call this what it really is — an egregious form of government overreach. HB 242 will cruelly prevent young people from getting the abortion care they need and punish those who try to help them. These lawmakers do not care about the health and safety of young Idahoans enough to consider the physical, mental, and emotional costs of forcing them to continue pregnancies. These callous attacks on reproductive freedom will not stop and everyone must take note. Across Idaho and across the country, Planned Parenthood will not stand by as politicians continue to strip their constituents of their fundamental rights.”
Statement from Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, Idaho State Director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates
“All Idahoans - and people across the country, frankly - should be paying attention to this extreme attempt to control our movements in and out of the state. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. The fact that the Idaho government not only wants to say what procedures will be available to us, but also now wants to be policing people assisting those trying to access that legal care in other states, is reprehensible. This bill sets a dangerous precedent of medical surveillance that should worry you, regardless of your position on abortion. The government has no place in your private medical decisions. Governor Little, you owe it to all Idahoans to veto this bill.”
The passage of HB 242 comes at the same time Idaho is facing a maternal mortality crisis, adding to the inhumanity of this bill. The pregnancy-related mortality rate in Idaho tripled between 2019 and 2020, according to a December 2022 report by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
It also passes mere days after multiple hospital systems in the state announced they would either close entirely or shut down obstetrics programs due to physicians leaving the state as a result of Idaho’s strict abortion ban.
Planned Parenthood demands Gov. Little veto this harmful bill immediately. In addition to all of the other incredibly valid reasons to strike this down, people have a constitutional right to interstate travel when it comes to abortion, Gov. Little.