IDAHO — Idaho voters rejected Proposition 1 on Tuesday, defeating a citizen-led effort to change the state’s abortion restrictions and establish a right to make private reproductive health care decisions.
The Associated Press called the outcome, with 55.3% opposed and 44.7% voting in favor.
The measure, known as the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, proposes protections for decisions involving abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, childbirth and miscarriage care.
It defines fetal viability as the point when a physician determines, on a case-by-case basis, that a fetus has a significant likelihood of sustained survival outside the uterus without extraordinary medical measures.
After viability, the measure allows abortion in medical emergencies involving threats to a pregnant patient’s life or serious risks to physical health. It also provides protections against professional discipline and civil or criminal liability for health care providers delivering care consistent with the act.
Idahoans United for Women and Families, the group behind the initiative, argued that reproductive health decisions should be made by patients and their medical providers. Supporters said the measure would protect patients facing pregnancy complications and give providers greater legal certainty.
Opponents, including Too Extreme for Idaho and several anti-abortion organizations, argued that the measure’s language was too broad. Their objections included its definition of viability and potential effects on parental consent requirements. Supporters disputed those interpretations.
The defeat means Proposition 1 will not change Idaho law.
