To the Editor,
We thank the many Idaho physicians—over 80 now—who have signed a joint letter opposing Prop 1 and urging Idaho voters to Vote No on Prop 1.
Their letter rejects the Yes Campaign’s claims that Idaho’s abortion law “has no real exceptions” and that doctors’ “hands are tied in medical emergencies.”
“That is false,” these Idaho physicians write:
“Idaho law explicitly allows abortion when a physician, in his good-faith medical judgment, determines it is necessary to prevent the mother’s death — including in cases of ectopic pregnancy and placental abruption.”
“The Idaho Supreme Court has affirmed the wide latitude given to physicians. No doctor has been prosecuted for providing such care.”
The signers also reject the Yes Campaign’s claim that Idaho’s abortion laws have caused a mass exodus of OB/GYN’s leaving Idaho. They cite the Idaho Board of Medicine data “showing the number of licensed OB/GYNs has risen roughly 20% since the laws took effect in 2022, and that maternal mortality in Idaho has fallen since then to well below the national average.”
Besides correcting the record on current law, the Idaho doctors’ letter warns that Prop 1 would create extreme exceptions.
1.“It would redefine ‘fetal viability’ to exclude a baby who needs extra neonatal support such as oxygen and NICU care, opening the door to abortion into the eighth month of pregnancy.”
2.“It would eliminate parental notice and consent for minors seeking abortion, making abortion the only medical procedure a minor could undergo without a parent’s consent.”
3. “It would remove the requirement that a physician perform the procedure, permitting any ‘licensed health care provider’ to do so.”
Please join these Idaho Physicians in voting No on Prop 1.
https://stopprop1.org/59-idaho-physicians-sign-open-letter-opposing-proposition-1/
Kerry Uhlenkott