A few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which gave citizens the constitutional right to seek an abortion. 

This means that each state has the right to determine their own laws and regulations regarding abortion.

Because of this, abortion is now illegal in 13 states, including Idaho.

 

 


 

What are Idaho’s regulations going to be?

In 2020, Gov. Brad Little passed a trigger law, which will make abortion a felony – to perform one or to attempt to perform one. 

It takes effect 30 days after the recent ruling by the SCOTUS, which will be towards the end of July.     

 

The only caveats for this is in cases of rape, incest and/or to save the life of the mother. 

However, in cases of rape and incest, the pregnant victim must report the crime to law enforcement and then show a copy of the report to the physician, before an abortion can be performed. 

Sometimes this process can take weeks.  

 

What does this mean for Idahoans?

According to the Idaho Capital Sun, judgements issued from the Supreme Court (such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade) sometimes take up to 30 days to officially be released, and the trigger law doesn’t take effect until 30 days after that.

So abortion will still continue to be legal in Idaho until late August or early September.  

Planned Parenthood informed citizens that while it is still legal in Idaho, they will continue to perform abortions as long as they can.  

 

In fact, just this morning, they filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s Supreme Court to block the state’s trigger law that will ban nearly all abortions.
 

How have our state leaders reacted to the recent ruling by the SCOTUS?

Gov. Brad Little gave a press release, stating that this decision was welcomed and long-awaited.  

 

He stated that our state will need to come together to support women and teens as they face unexpected or unwanted pregnancies.

Families, churches, charities, and local and state governments must stand ready to lift them up and help them and their families with access to adoption services, healthcare, financial and food assistance, counseling and treatment, and family planning. We are being called to support women and our fellow community members in extraordinary new ways, and I'm confident Idahoans are ready to meet this responsibility with love and compassion,” Little said.

 

However, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean reached out via Twitter to express her outrage and concern over the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
 

The Idaho Democratic Party followed this same thread, stating that we can no longer rely on the courts to protect our rights and that we must elect Democrats across the state to do so.  

 

What can we do right now?

There’s currently a lot of moving parts, but the important thing to remember is that abortion is still currently legal in Idaho, and places like Planned Parenthood are working overtime to help the people that need it. 

If you need help finding where to go for a procedure, click here

Katie Rodihan, the spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Greater Northwest, also recommends that individuals stock up on emergency contraception such as Plan B.

These are currently available at their clinics and online, with a shelf life of up to four years.

 

This link below is also a great resource for how to help and be an advocate:

 

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