BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho law banning nearly all abortions would take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared a nationwide right to abortion.
The court with a 6-3 conservative majority on Wednesday starts hearing arguments over a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. Mississippi wants the court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
If the court does that, an Idaho law passed in 2020 would be triggered in 30 days, banning all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.
An Idaho law banning nearly all abortions would go into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
— Nicole Camarda (@CamardaNicole) December 1, 2021
Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman says "we are entering into the most dangerous time for abortion rights." pic.twitter.com/GhJ2kSPyW6
According to surveys from the Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood, if Roe V. Wade is overturned, it is estimated that 400,000 women in Idaho of reproductive age will be left without access to abortion.
"Every single pregnancy is different and so every single pregnancy and those decisions should be left up to medical professionals and their patients right? There's no way we should be having the Supreme Court or especially not state legislators making medical decisions for patients," Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman said.
Under the law, criminal punishment would be a felony and apply to the person performing the abortion, not the woman.
