A handful of red states have passed various abortion bans over the past two years, and this week, another state joined the movement.
According to Fox News, Idaho is the latest state to pass a strict, anti-abortion bill through its legislature which bans abortions after the six-week mark of a pregnancy. The bill was passed in both chambers, and will soon head to Gov. Brad Little’s (R) desk for a signature.
Notably, the bill is the first one modeled after the Texas version, which has a unique enforcement mechanism in that it gives the power of legal action to citizens of the state, allowing them to file suit against abortion providers.
The Idaho bill does allow exemptions for cases of rape, incest, and medical emergencies that would place the mother’s life in danger.
The details
In the Idaho bill, family members of the unborn child would be permitted to file a lawsuit against an abortion provider, which would be a minimum of $20,000 in damages.
Those would-be family members of the unborn child have four years from the abortion date to bring legal action, should they choose to do so.
Gov. Little signed into law last year a version of the widely known as the “fetal heartbeat” law, which bans abortions after a heartbeat can be detected in an unborn child. One of the provisions of that law is still be contested in federal court.
Like in Texas and Mississippi, pro-abortion groups are expected to take action to stop the new Idaho legislation from becoming law, although their odds have grown increasingly slim, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled favorably for Texas’ version of the law after it was hotly contested.
Swift backlash
As expected, pro-abortion groups have already heavily criticized the Idaho bill, demanding on social media that Gov. Little veto the bill, citing a number of concerns for women, including one argument that some women don’t even know they’re pregnant at the six-week mark.
Statement from @PPAAWest CEO Jennifer Allen on the Idaho legislature’s passage of #SB1309 – the vigilante TX-copycat abortion ban #idleg #idpol pic.twitter.com/wGQXusn7WF
— Katie Rodihan (@katierodihan) March 14, 2022
Many who are opposed to such anti-abortion laws falsely claim that it’s a “violation” of womens’ “constitutional rights” under the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, failing to understand that there isn’t a single word in the U.S. Constitution affording the right to abortion services.
Hopefully, the Idaho attorney general is as skilled as attorneys general in other states that have successfully defended such laws, as it appears yet another huge legal fight is in the works.
