A senior House GOP leader is canceling a planned legislative hearing about the exodus of OB-GYNs in Idaho after Democrats blasted his party over inaction on reproductive health issues.
Both House and Senate health committees were set to hear from Idaho’s top medical and hospital organizations, as well as women’s health advocates Tuesday morning.
Those included the Idaho Medical Association, the Idaho Hospital Association and the Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare
“We encourage lawmakers to consider the impacts on Idaho patients as they navigate healthcare policy legislation in our state and hope to be afforded future opportunities to share vital information,” the organizations said in a statement.
Democrats last week urged GOP leaders to add further abortion exceptions to consider the health of pregnant mothers, as well as protecting in vitro fertilization.
Rep. John Vander Woude (R-Nampa), who chairs the House Health and Welfare Committee, said he canceled the hearing because of the press conference.
“I thought it was a direct slap in the face to what I had been working on all session long, to go and try to throw the rest of my friends under the bus on a press conference while we’re still in the process,” Vander Woude said.
“If that’s how you’re going to treat someone that’s trying to work on the issue, then I’m done,” he said.
“We weren’t trying to be mean,” said House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise). “I’m sorry if we hurt people’s feelings by calling out the state of affairs, but that is the state of affairs, and it needs to be fixed and I wish our Republican colleagues would join us on this.”
By canceling the hearing, Rubel said Republicans were suppressing information about the increasing lack of fetal and maternal doctors and specialists in-state.
A study released last month shows 22% of OB-GYNs have left Idaho after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Vander Woude said he has a letter signed by 47 Republicans supporting IVF treatments that will be released Tuesday.
He, along with Rep. Brooke Green (D-Boise), have been working on legislation to protect IVF treatments after a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision declared frozen embryos to be legal children.
Alabama lawmakers later passed a law removing personhood status from embryos in the state.
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