The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, meaning that 30 days after the judgment is entered, a trigger law banning most abortions in Idaho will kick in.
The trigger law makes abortions illegal except in certain cases, such as saving the mother’s life. In cases of rape or incest, the woman must provide a police report to the doctor before the procedure can happen.
The Supreme Court's controversial decision and Idaho's trigger law will greatly impact women in the Gem State, where birth control is not easy to access. Currently, birth control prescriptions remain at three-month maximums.
Four years in a row, the Idaho Legislature has killed a bill that would make it easier to get contraception. Those killed bills ranged from six-month prescription caps to 12-month prescriptions, and the most recent iteration did not include access to emergency contraception like Plan B.
“This bill has a chastity belt on it,” Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said earlier this year about her bill. “If the House members want to prevent abortion, this is the No. 1 way to do it. What this is about is men controlling women’s bodies once again.”
The Treasure Valley is a contraceptive desert, according to the nonprofit Power to Decide. Ada and Canyon counties have closer to one full-range clinic per 5,000 women, but ideally there would be one per 1,000 women.
Wintrow, speaking Friday on the Supreme Court's decision, said she's furious at the changes to women's reproductive rights that will soon happen in Idaho. But, she's not surprised at the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Considering the makeup of the Idaho Legislature, if any lawmaker puts forth legislation to prohibit certain forms of birth control, it will go through, Wintrow said.
The Idaho Legislature is heavily comprised of Republicans.
"The importance of contraception, we have to have the ability to choose when and if we have a baby," Wintrow said. "That's a fundamental right."
When Wintrow's bill was voted down, lawmakers in opposition expressed concerns about taking away freedom by forcing insurance companies to cover more, among other issues.
“I can’t imagine that the pro-life groups are in favor of this bill,” Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, said.
Research has shown more than 90% of abortions are performed in cases of unintended pregnancies.
“Legislators say time and time again that they want to decrease the number of abortions in our state,” ACLU of Idaho Policy Strategist Lauren Bramwell previously told the Idaho Press. “But when measures are introduced that would decrease the number of unintended pregnancies, those measures fail.”


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