One of strictest US abortion bans could be overturned in November’s election | Idaho
One of the strictest abortion bans in the country will come to a vote this November after Idaho’s secretary of state approved a ballot measure on Monday that would reverse the state’s abortion ban, which bans the procedure at all stages of pregnancy.
The ballot initiative was led by a volunteer group called Idahoans United for Women & Families, which petitioned to put the measure before voters this fall. They collected more than 100,000 signatures, exceeding the 70,725 signatures required to participate in the vote.
If approved by voters, the measure would create a “reproductive freedom” law rather than amend the state constitution.
The change would make Idaho law similar to what it was before the high court ruled in 2022 that overturned Roe v Wade and allowed states to ban abortions. Idaho’s new law allows abortions until fetal viability, which is generally thought to be after about 21 weeks of pregnancy. It would also allow people to make their own choices about abortion, birth control and fertility treatment.
Since Roe was overturned and abortion was banned or restricted in many states, advocates have been fighting to restore protections through various referendums at the state level. Nationwide, abortion rights advocates lost four statewide votes on reproductive rights but prevailed in 14 referendums during the same period.
Idaho is currently one of six states where the abortion ban does not include exceptions related to the girl’s or woman’s health. Like many other prohibitions, it allows abortion to save the woman’s life or in pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. In 2023, Idaho also became the first state to make it a crime for a minor to have an abortion without parental consent.
The ban has been difficult for doctors providing pregnancy-related healthcare in the state. 19th. Many said they left the state because of the harsh penalties that come with providing care under the law. Four women filed a lawsuit in 2023 state After experiencing pregnancy complications and being unable to obtain an abortion.
David Ripley, CEO of the anti-abortion group Idaho Chooses Life, is preparing to campaign against the measure. “This will have a profound impact on Idaho,” he told The Associated Press, “and will invalidate almost every pro-life law the legislature has passed in the last 30 to 40 years.”
Idaho’s ballot measure comes as many other states are also trying to reposition their rules on abortion for the midterms. Virginia and Nevada, which both allow abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, are considering amendments to their state constitutions that would create abortion rights. Missouri is moving in the opposite direction, allowing voters to decide whether to reimpose a previous abortion ban that was repealed by a constitutional amendment in 2024.
Associated Press contributed reporting
