A measure that would decriminalize abortion in Idaho has the signatures it needs to show up on election ballots this November.
The “Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act” would allow doctors to perform abortions in Idaho without the threat of jail time.
The nonprofit Idahoans United for Women and Families created the ballot measure.
Executive director Melanie Folwell says the initiative would return Idaho to its previous abortion laws before Roe V. Wade was overturned by the U.S Supreme Court in 2022.
“Our hope is that this is one significant step back towards stabilizing our healthcare system in asserting that people deserve dignity and privacy as it relates to their medical care,” said Folwell.
Idaho’s abortion ban is among the strictest in the country. The medical procedure is illegal with only two exceptions – in cases of rape or incest or when the mother’s life is in danger.
Healthcare providers face two to five years in prison if found guilty of violating the current law. A Journal of the American Medical Association study finds more than a third of OBGYNs left the state in the two years since the repeal of Roe. Since then, remote telehealth abortions have steadily increased.
Folwell says the ballot measure could encourage doctors to return for in-person care.
She says the initiative has seen bipartisan support from Idahoans. The measure has been signed by more than 105,000 Idahoans, about 10% of the state’s voting population.
“When it comes to difficult decisions or tough calls made in your family at your kitchen table, the government should not have a seat at that table. And we find … a broad coalition of people who feel that way,” said Folwell.
To pass in a general election, the ballot initiative needs a simple majority.
