This past Monday, the House of Representatives From Idaho officially passed a new bill that establishes a ban on all abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy.
The bill from Idaho has been styled after the recently officiated Texas law that also enables the family members of the person to issue lawsuits against any doctor that performs an abortion after the six-week window.
Also known as the “Fetal Heartbeat, Preborn Child Protection Act,” Senate Bill 1309 passed in a 51-14 vote on Monday. This bill is now slated to hit the desk of Republican Gov. Brad Little to receive his official signature.
This new law sets Idaho as the first state to pass its own law banning abortion in the same vein as the highly controversial Texas law that sparked extreme and widespread criticism from various abortion activists.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Texas law to remain in place until a court challenge is decided on its merits. The Texas Supreme Court ruled against abortion providers last week, dealing what many consider to be the final blow to their legal challenges,” stated USA Today in a report.
“The Idaho bill would allow the potential father, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles of a preborn child to sue an abortion provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages within four years of the procedure. Although a rapist wouldn’t be able to file a lawsuit, their relatives could,” stated the report.
The bill managed to garner strong support within the Republican-led state government.
“We heard in testimony in the committee; we heard in testimony here today that this will end many abortions in Idaho,” stated Republican Rep. Steven Harris, the sponsor for the bill. “Let’s save some babies.”
The co-sponsor of the new legislation, Republican state Rep. Barbara Ehardt, chimed in as well to speak about the reduction of abortions in her state.
“Abortion is not a constitutional right,” Ehardt stated. “The Supreme Court in 1973 did something that was never allowed in the first place.”
Though very similar to the Texas Bill, a pair of large changes were included in the Idaho bill.
“The Idaho abortion ban does allow for some exceptions in cases of incest or rape, but requires the pregnant person to have reported their rape or incest to the police and to provide the abortion provider with a police report,” 19th News stated about the changes.
“Idaho’s ban only permits the person receiving the abortion or their family to sue for damages and only allows for the doctor to be sued,” it continued.
There was also a statement given by Planned Parenthood CEO Jennifer Allen in condemnation of the bill in its entirety.
“SB 1309 is a travesty grounded in bad motives, questionable legality, and no science at all. Governor Little must do the right thing, listen to the medical community, and veto this legislation before it forces Idaho patients to leave the state for critical, time-sensitive care or remain pregnant against their will,” exclaimed Allen.