Baby pacifier with a warning label that says "Idaho laws may harm moms."

In Idaho, motherhood comes with a warning label.

When Idaho families encounter pregnancy complications, they find themselves in a scary position.

Moms can only be helped when they are close to death, risking their health and ability to have children in the future. Doctors are stuck between state law and their oath to do no harm. If the law doesn’t change soon, everyone in Idaho will lose.

Idaho moms are in danger.

Image of Dr. Jim Souza

“Doctors in the ER are trained to act as early as possible in order to prevent permanent injury. So when a law gets in the way of acting earlier, you increase the chance of more invasive treatment, permanent organ injury, or even death.”

Dr. Jim Souza
Chief Physician Executive, St. Luke’s Health System

The law makes parenthood a safety hazard.

22,000

babies are born in Idaho every year on average

8%

of women will experience pregnancy complications, which translates to 1,760 Idaho women annually

1

labor and delivery unit has closed as a result of Idaho’s abortion laws

55%

of Idaho’s maternal fetal medicine specialists have left the state or will retire by the end of 2023

If we want Idaho to continue being a safe place for women to become moms, we need to make changes to our current laws. Doctors are quitting. Hospitals are struggling to recruit replacements. Long-time Idahoans are moving out of state to start families or not returning. Idaho laws are letting families down. Across the state, our system for healthy motherhood is collapsing.

True stories of Idaho motherhood today.

Hear from Idaho moms, dads, and doctors who wanted to bring kids into the world — but find themselves in a terrifying legal grey area instead.

Fixing the law will strengthen families.

Image of a baby

Moms can be treated for health complications and have more babies.

Image of a mom holding her baby

Idahoans will feel safe growing their families here.

Image of a doctor rolling a medical bassinet down a hallway

More doctors will continue practicing medicine in Idaho.

Image of a doctor holding a newborn

Physicians can provide women with necessary medical care.

It’s up to all of us to protect motherhood in Idaho.

 Questions & Answers

 

  • Idaho’s current abortion laws put mothers in danger and make it difficult or impossible for doctors to provide evidenced-based care for women experiencing dangerous pregnancy complications or are victims of rape or incest. Doctors cannot intervene to protect the health or fertility of expectant mothers unless they are in imminent danger of dying, which will cause some women to lose their ability to have children, suffer serious health conditions, or even die. If doctors violate any part of Idaho’s abortion laws they could face lawsuits, criminal prosecution, and have their medical license revoked. The laws are driving doctors out of the state and making it more difficult for all Idahoans to access care.

  • Idaho’s abortion laws prevent women who are experiencing pregnancy complications from being treated using evidence-based care. Instead of early intervention, which can reduce the risk of health complications and preserve a woman’s ability to have more children in the future, women must be at risk of dying before doctors can intervene. Delayed care will likely cause some women to lose the ability to have children, suffer serious health complications that could be medically be prevented (but not legally), or worse, cause Idaho’s maternal mortality rates to worsen.

  • Since Idaho’s abortion laws went into effect, 55% of the state’s maternal fetal medicine specialists, doctors who specialize in high-risk pregnancies, have left the state or will retire by the end of 2023. Doctors across other specialties have also decided to leave Idaho because the current political environment has made them feel under attack. The laws are also making it more and more difficult to recruit doctors into the state, so Idaho’s already low physician to patient ratio is becoming even worse and making it harder for women, men, and children to find the care they need.

  • No, Idaho’s abortion laws impact all of us. They impact the doctors who are attempting to provide care for their patients. They impact husbands who are trying to grow their families. They impact children whose mother’s health is at risk because of a pregnancy complication. And they impact Idahoans who are trying to access healthcare but are struggling to find a doctor.

  • No. Idahoans for Healthy Moms is advocating for common sense reforms to Idaho’s current abortion laws in order to protect the health of Idaho moms and allow doctors to treat their patients using evidence-based medicine.

  • Idaho doctors have chosen to leave the state because they are not able to treat their patients using standard practices of care and they feel persecuted in Idaho’s current political environment. By updating the laws to allow doctors to perform medically necessary terminations to protect the health of the mother, doctors would once again be able to treat patients using evidence-based care, just as they were trained. It would also help provide the clarity doctors need to stop practicing in fear.

  • Yes. Hospitals trying to hire new physicians are regularly being told doctors aren’t interested in practicing in Idaho given the state’s current abortion laws. Reforms that would allow doctors to provide necessary, timely interventions for their patients would help make Idaho a more appealing place to practice medicine.