OPINION: Banning abortions in Idaho: an exercise in futility

Idaho lawmakers have passed some of the most extreme anti-abortion laws in the United States.

They’ve banned the procedure — even to the point where traditional exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother are riddled with holes.

Only Idaho interferes with a minor’s freedom of movement, making it a felony for any adult to transport her across state lines to obtain a legal abortion.

Thanks to the Idaho Legislature, a gag order precludes the discussion of abortion in public institutions, even at art exhibits at state colleges and universities.

The state refuses to extend Medicaid coverage for 12 months of postpartum care, a lone exception among anti-abortion states.

And only Idaho has canceled its Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

So what has all of this accomplished?

Certainly not stopping many — if not most — Idaho women from getting abortions.

Even before abortion was illegal in Idaho, women in the 10 northern counties sought out medical care in nearby Washington. Of the 345 women in that region who obtained an abortion in 2020, for example, only three underwent the procedure in Idaho.

Now that trend has spread out.

As Rachel Sun and Lauren Gallup reported in last Sunday’s Lewiston Tribune, Washington’s Planned Parenthood clinics reported a 56% increase in the number of abortions provided to Idaho women.

In the Tri-City Herald, Annette Carey compared the first five months of 2022 with the same period this year and found the number of Idaho women who obtained abortions in Kennewick jumped from two to 91 — a 4,450% increase.

Elsewhere, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., noted that comparing the period from January through May of 2022 to 2023 saw the number of Idahoans who sought out abortions at Walla Walla jumped from one to 20 — up 1,900%.

That’s only one state. Bordering Idaho are pro-choice states such as Oregon, Nevada and Montana.

And these numbers may not reflect Idaho women who are getting medicinal abortions.

Not every Idaho woman either has the resources or the knowledge to obtain an abortion where it’s legal. But it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. Eventually, money and information will flow into the right hands.

So other than providing Idaho Republican lawmakers with the bona fides they desire from the GOP base, what has this changed?

As Sun and Gallup noted, it’s caused delays — meaning more Idaho women are getting abortions later in their pregnancies than they otherwise would. Virtually everyone who cares about women’s health and who regrets abortions would agree that’s hardly a step in the right direction.

Idaho’s willingness to insert the county prosecutor into medical decisions has battered the state’s health care system. Forced to weigh medical ethics against their own exposure to criminal prosecution and the loss of their license, some doctors are leaving the Gem State. A survey of Idaho’s maternal fetal health professionals this spring found 48 thinking about moving, another 27 on the fence and only 42 planning to stay put.

It’s also getting in the way of recruiting young doctors to a growing state with a shortage of physicians. Sun and Gallup noted an Association of American Medical Colleges survey found OB/GYN residencies dropped 10.3% in states where abortions are banned.

Here’s the stress test: People living in Sandpoint or Emmett have to travel away from home to find a hospital where their children can be delivered.

Bonner General Health and Valor Health Hospital closed their labor and delivery units for lack of qualified medical personnel. In the case of Bonner General Health, the state’s political climate was cited as a factor behind that decision.

Abortion bans don’t stop abortions. Bans export abortions to other states.

What stops abortions is preventing unwanted pregnancies.

That means pervasive, scientifically appropriate sex education in the schools and the widespread availability of contraception — including emergency contraception — to young people.

Taking those steps, however, requires trust in the intelligence and judgment of individuals. At the moment, that is a quality in short supply at the Idaho Statehouse. — M.T.