In just a few short months, Idaho voters will be asked if they want to legalize abortion in the Gem State. In spite of all the rhetoric you’ve heard about Proposition 1—how it’s about reproductive freedom, about choice, about saving women’s lives—in the end, it comes down to abortion: the willing destruction of an unborn human life.
I’ve seen a lot of myths and misinformation being spread about both Prop 1 and Idaho’s abortion laws, so I’d like to set the record straight.
Myth: Idaho’s abortion bans have chased doctors out of state.
Truth: The number of actively licensed OB/GYNs has increased steadily since the Defense of Life Act went into effect in 2022. The Idaho Family Policy Center recently received data from the Idaho Board of Medicine showing that the number of licensed physicians declaring OB/GYN as their specialty has gone from around 280 in 2022 to nearly 350 today.
Conclusion: Idaho’s pro-life laws don’t chase doctors away; rather, they attract those who have devoted their lives to bringing babies into the world.
Myth: Idaho’s abortion laws put women’s lives at risk.
Truth: Idaho’s pro-life laws are carefully constructed to ensure that pregnant mothers can access the care they need. Complications such as ectopic pregnancies are treatable in Idaho with no legal risk to doctors or mothers. In fact, government data shows that the maternal mortality rate has dropped significantly since our pro-life laws went into effect.
Conclusion: Idaho law protects mothers and babies alike.
Myth: Idaho’s abortion ban is a new idea.
Fact: Our state’s founders prohibited abortion, except to save the life of the mother, back in 1864, before Idaho was even a state. The defense of unborn life is deeply woven into the fabric of our state and our culture.
Conclusion: Idaho has long valued all life, including the unborn. The 49 years under Roe v. Wade were a historical aberration.
Myth: Prop 1 protects parental rights.
Truth: Proposition 1 would make abortion on demand the law of the land with no age limit. Minor girls could theoretically get an abortion without their parents even knowing about it.
Conclusion: Prop 1 erodes parental rights and creates division within families.
Myth: Prop 1 simply reestablishes the status quo before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Truth: Proposition 1 creates a radical new section of law that not only allows abortion on demand up to viability—which is not precisely defined in the text—but also erases current protections for minors and conscience rights.
Conclusion: Prop 1 is too extreme for Idaho.
Folks, the truth is that Prop 1 is a radical departure from our state’s longstanding culture of life. If you want to keep Idaho Idaho and maintain the respect for life that
One reply on “Op-Ed: Busting Myths About Idaho’s Pro-Life Laws”
Dear Dorothy Moon, I’ve been in idaho for 6 years and I love it. I came from two communist blue states and I vote consistently bright red. I am 75 and my wife is 70, so we have had a lot of life experience with seeing through peoples’ (and politicians’) lies and deceptions. We try to educate ourselves on the ballot issues and candidates, especially here in twin falls. You are part of thateducation. Your sub stack is presented by Gem State Patriots blog. Stop Idaho rinos is a consistent theme of your articles. I would like to highlight for you what transpired in TF primary campaigns this cycle and how disappointed I am in state level GOP leadership.
As you probably know, our representatives were a part of the so called “gang of eight” in the legislature. They were very frugal thinking, and anti freedom restricting bills. Don’t grow government, and don’t restrict people’s personal freedoms. A good theme, which the state level gop leadership should endorse. All of the incumbents were narrowly defeated by out of state/corporate financial funding. Casey Swensen defeated Josh Kohl by less than a thousand votes, Cherie Volumes won over David Leavitt by 600 votes. And in the rural part of the county, Brent Reinke won decisively over Glenneda Zuiderveld by 2000 votes.
Now I don’t have any issue with the county’s administrating of the election. My issue is with the funding of the winning candidates. First of all, Volker and Swenson campaigned together like conjoined twins. You’d have thought they were married. Their out of state/corporate backers flooded our mailboxes with flyers and Facebook adds. The irrigation district (A public utility funded organization) endorsed both, and big ag, NW (conservative?) voter organizations, and several other activist organizations, which I can’t remember the names of after all this time, distributed and paid for these efforts. It was printed at the bottom of the flyers in very small print. There were out of state street volunteer activists going door to door talking and handing out campaign materials (I asked them where they lived, mostly from CA). The incumbents’ flyers were paid for by their own campaigns, which as you can imagine are cash poor. They were only able to mail them only a very short time immediately before the election. Their opponents were able to flood our mail boxes a month or two pre-election, and two or three a day on some days.
Now I know that many democrats, rinos, and uninformed conservatives “cross register” Republican on the rolls. As we all know, historically, mid term years have meager voter turnout. This gives the liberal bloc of voters more influence in the outcomes of the GOP elections. Along with the non-Idaho funding, your GOP needs to take notice and respond. I have read your op-eds on rinos up north and senate and house leadership who torpedo conservative bills with questionable tactics. Good for you. But your organization could do a lot more by exposing candidates who are deceiving our voter base. An example, I asked Vollmer and Swenson at a campaigh meeting, their stance on teacher’s unions and the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s IFF’s rating system. Vollmer (a former teacher) was for the teacher unions and stipends for union dues from tax money, A big duh from me. She said that the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF, which I follow), is just a shoddy lobbyist group. Against home schooling. Was for adding/protecting various programs which would add to the state budget. Rino talk in my opinion. I don’t think the average voter even knew candidate stances, and they walked into the booth and voted on name recognition only.
My prediction for your party is to see massive spending increases and more freedom restrictive bills passed for the next two years. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. The GOP here in Idaho seems to be continuing the long held tradition of “seizing defeat out of the jaws of victory”.
I’m sorry for this lengthy novel of a complaint, but I hope you read the entire response as I do your lengthy posts. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.