Abortion in Idaho

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abortion in Idaho is legal. Idaho passed a law in the 2000s banning abortions after 22 weeks because it was alleged that a fetus can feel pain. Mandatory informed consent laws were in place by 2007. The cut off point for getting a legal abortion in the state was generally some point between week 24 and 28. This period uses a standard defined by the United States Supreme Court in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade ruling.

The number of abortion clinics in the state has been declining in recent years, going from fifteen in 1982 to nine in 1992 to three in 2014, and remaining at that number in 2016 and 2017. Because of this, some women went to Emerg-A-Care in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to get abortions. There were 801 legal abortions in 2000, 738 in 2001, 911 in 2003, 1,767 in 2014 and 1,695 in 2015. Both abortion rights activists and anti-abortion rights activists have been active in Idaho.

Terminology[]

Main article: Abortion
See also: Definitions of abortion

The abortion debate most commonly relates to the "induced abortion" of an embryo or fetus at some point in a pregnancy, which is also how the term is used in a legal sense.[note 1] Some also use the term "elective abortion", which is used in relation to a claim to an unrestricted right of a woman to an abortion, whether or not she chooses to have one. The term elective abortion or voluntary abortion describes the interruption of pregnancy before viability at the request of the woman, but not for medical reasons.[1]

Anti-abortion advocates tend to use terms such as "unborn baby", "unborn child", or "pre-born child",[2][3] and see the medical terms "embryo", "zygote", and "fetus" as dehumanizing.[4][5] Both "pro-choice" and "pro-life" are examples of terms labeled as political framing: they are terms which purposely try to define their philosophies in the best possible light, while by definition attempting to describe their opposition in the worst possible light. "Pro-choice" implies that the alternative viewpoint is "anti-choice", while "pro-life" implies the alternative viewpoint is "pro-death" or "anti-life".[6] The Associated Press encourages journalists to use the terms "abortion rights" and "anti-abortion".[7]

Context[]

See also: Abortion in the United States

Free birth control correlates to teenage girls having a fewer pregnancies and fewer abortions. A 2014 New England Journal of Medicine study found such a link. At the same time, a 2011 study by Center for Reproductive Rights and also found that states with more abortion restrictions have higher rates of maternal death, higher rates of uninsured pregnant women, higher rates of infant and child deaths, higher rates of teen substance use, and lower rates of cancer screening.[8]

According to a 2017 report from the Center for Reproductive Rights and Ibis Reproductive Health, states that tried to pass additional constraints on a women's ability to access legal abortions had fewer policies supporting women's health, maternal health and children's health. These states also tended to resist expanding Medicaid, family leave, medical leave, and sex education in public schools.[9] According to Megan Donovan, a senior policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute, states have legislation seeking to protect a woman's right to access abortion services have the lowest rates of infant mortality in the United States.[9]

Poor women in the United States had problems paying for menstrual pads and tampons in 2018 and 2019. Almost two-thirds of American women could not pay for them. These were not available through the federal Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC).[10] Lack of menstrual supplies has an economic impact on poor women. A study in St. Louis found that 36% had to miss days of work because they lacked adequate menstrual hygiene supplies during their period. This was on top of the fact that many had other menstrual issues including bleeding, cramps and other menstrual induced health issues.[10] This state was one of a majority that taxed essential hygiene products like tampons and menstrual pads as of November 2018.[11][12][13][14]

History[]

Legislative history[]

By 1950, the state legislature passed a law stating that a woman who had an abortion or actively sought to have an abortion regardless of whether she went through with it were guilty of a criminal offense.[15]

The state passed a law in the 2000s banning abortions after 22 weeks because they alleged that fetus can feel pain.[16] The state was one of 23 states in 2007 to have a detailed abortion-specific informed consent requirement.[17] In the informed consent materials given to women in Idaho, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas required by statute, the materials used graphic and inflammatory language.[18] Idaho was the only state of 23 with detailed informed consent requirements by statute that did not require the woman be told how far advanced her pregnancy was.[18] Georgia, Michigan, Arkansas and Idaho all required in 2007 that women must be provided by an abortion clinic with the option to view an image their fetus if an ultrasound is used prior to the abortion taking place.[18] As of May 14, 2019, the state prohibited abortions after the fetus was viable, generally some point between week 24 and 28. This period uses a standard defined by the United States Supreme Court in 1973 with the Roe v. Wade ruling.[19] On March 24, 2020, Governor Little signed into law S1385, which is a trigger law that if states are allowed to ban abortion, then abortion will be illegal in Idaho except for cases of the life of the mother, rape or incest.[20][21][22]

Judicial history[]

The United States Supreme Court's decision in 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling meant the state could no longer regulate abortion in the first trimester.[15]

Clinic history[]

Number of abortion clinics in Idaho by year
See also: Abortion clinic

Between 1982 and 1992, the number of abortion clinics in the state decreased by six, going from fifteen in 1982 to nine in 1992.[23] In 2014, there were three abortion clinics in the state.[24] In 2014, 95% of the counties in the state did not have an abortion clinic. That year, 68% of women in the state aged 15–44 lived in a county without an abortion clinic.[25] In 2017, there were three Planned Parenthood clinics, all of which offered abortion services, in a state with a population of 365,502 women aged 15–49.[26]

Emerg-A-Care in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, also served women from Eastern Idaho in 2017.[27]

Statistics[]

In the period between 1972 and 1974, there was only no recorded illegal abortion death in the state.[clarification needed][28] In 1990, 106,000 women in the state faced the risk of an unintended pregnancy.[23] The lowest number of legal induced abortions by state in 2000 occurred in Idaho with 801, while South Dakota was second with 878, and North Dakota was third with 1,341.[29] Idaho had the fewest induced abortions in 2001 with 738, while South Dakota was second with 895, and North Dakota was third with 1,216. Idaho had the lowest induced abortion to live birth ration at 36 per 1,000 live births while New York City had the highest at 767. Based on the ratio of number of women aged 15–44 years, Idaho had the lowest rate of induced abortions at 3 per 1,000 women while the District of Columbia had the highest at 37 per 1,000.[30] In 2003, the state of South Dakota had the lowest number of legal induced abortions with 819. Idaho was second with 911, while North Dakota was third with 1,354. Idaho had the lowest ratio of induced abortions to live births at 42 per 1,000 in 2003 while New York City had the highest at 758 to 1,000.[31] In 2010, the state had zero publicly funded abortions.[32] In 2013, among white women aged 15–19, there were 170 abortions, zero abortions for black women aged 15–19, 40 abortions for Hispanic women aged 15–19, and 20 abortions for women of all other races.[33] In 2014, 45% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.[34] In 2017, the state had an infant mortality rate of 4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.[9]

Number of reported abortions, abortion rate and percentage change in rate by geographic region and state in 1992, 1995 and 1996[35]
Census division and state Number Rate % change 1992–1996
1992 1995 1996 1992 1995 1996
US Total 1,528,930 1,363,690 1,365,730 25.9 22.9 22.9 –12
Mountain 69,600 63,390 67,020 21 17.9 18.6 –12
Arizona 20,600 18,120 19,310 24.1 19.1 19.8 –18
Colorado 19,880 15,690 18,310 23.6 18 20.9 –12
Idaho 1,710 1,500 1,600 7.2 5.8 6.1 –15
Montana 3,300 3,010 2,900 18.2 16.2 15.6 –14
Nevada 13,300 15,600 15,450 44.2 46.7 44.6 1
New Mexico 6,410 5,450 5,470 17.7 14.4 14.4 –19
Utah 3,940 3,740 3,700 9.3 8.1 7.8 –16
Wyoming 460 280 280 4.3 2.7 2.7 –37
Number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions, by reporting area of residence and occurrence and by percentage of abortions obtained by out-of-state residents, US CDC estimates
Location Residence Occurrence % obtained by
out-of-state residents 		Year Ref
No. Rate^ Ratio^^ No. Rate^ Ratio^^
Idaho 1,710 7.2 1992 [35]
Idaho 1,500 5.8 1995 [35]
Idaho 1,600 6.1 1996 [35]
Idaho 1,767 5.6 77 1,353 4.3 59 5.2 2014 [36]
Idaho 1,695 5.3 74 1,272 4 56 4.6 2015 [37]
Idaho 1,725 5.4 77 1,289 4.0 57 3.4 2016 [38]
^number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44; ^^number of abortions per 1,000 live births


Abortion rights views and activities[]

Protests[]

Women from the state participated in marches supporting abortion rights as part of a #StoptheBans movement in May 2019.[39]

Anti-abortion views and activities[]

The Boise March for Life takes place every January on the weekend anniversary of Roe v. Wade to commemorate the over 50 million unborn children that have been lost since the Supreme Court ruling. The march and rally that follows are a celebration of life and demonstration in the belief that all life is sacred.

Shelley Shannon attempted to set fires at abortion clinics in Oregon, California, Idaho and Nevada during the late 1980s and early 1990s and eventually plead guilty for these cases of arson. In 1993, she was found guilty of attempted murder of Dr. George Tiller in 1993 at his Wichita, Kansas clinic.[40]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ According to the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade:

    (a) For the stage prior to approximately the end of the first trimester, the abortion decision and its effectuation must be left to the medical judgement of the pregnant woman's attending physician. (b) For the stage subsequent to approximately the end of the first trimester, the State, in promoting its interest in the health of the mother, may, if it chooses, regulate the abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health. (c) For the stage subsequent to viability, the State in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life may, if it chooses, regulate, and even proscribe, abortion except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgement, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.

    Likewise, Black's Law Dictionary defines abortion as "knowing destruction" or "intentional expulsion or removal".

References[]

  1. ^ Watson, Katie (20 Dec 2019). "Why We Should Stop Using the Term "Elective Abortion"". AMA Journal of Ethics. 20: E1175-1180. doi:10.1001/amajethics.2018.1175. PMID 30585581. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  2. ^ Chamberlain, Pam; Hardisty, Jean (2007). "The Importance of the Political 'Framing' of Abortion". The Public Eye Magazine. 14 (1).
  3. ^ "The Roberts Court Takes on Abortion". New York Times. November 5, 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  4. ^ Brennan 'Dehumanizing the vulnerable' 2000
  5. ^ Getek, Kathryn; Cunningham, Mark (February 1996). "A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing – Language and the Abortion Debate". Princeton Progressive Review.
  6. ^ "Example of "anti-life" terminology" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  7. ^ Goldstein, Norm, ed. The Associated Press Stylebook. Philadelphia: Basic Books, 2007.
  8. ^ Castillo, Stephanie (2014-10-03). "States With More Abortion Restrictions Hurt Women's Health, Increase Risk For Maternal Death". Medical Daily. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  9. ^ a b c "States pushing abortion bans have highest infant mortality rates". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  10. ^ a b Mundell, E.J. (January 16, 2019). "Two-Thirds of Poor U.S. Women Can't Afford Menstrual Pads, Tampons: Study". US News & World Report. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  11. ^ Larimer, Sarah (January 8, 2016). "The 'tampon tax,' explained". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  12. ^ Bowerman, Mary (July 25, 2016). "The 'tampon tax' and what it means for you". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  13. ^ Hillin, Taryn. "These are the U.S. states that tax women for having periods". Splinter. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  14. ^ "Election Results 2018: Nevada Ballot Questions 1-6". KNTV. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  15. ^ a b Buell, Samuel (1991-01-01). "Criminal Abortion Revisited". New York University Law Review. 66: 1774–1831.
  16. ^ Times, The New York. "Abortion Restrictions in States". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  17. ^ "State Policy On Informed Consent for Abortion" (PDF). Guttmacher Policy Review. Fall 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c "State Abortion Counseling Policies and the Fundamental Principles of Informed Consent". Guttmacher Institute. 2007-11-12. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  19. ^ Lai, K. K. Rebecca (2019-05-15). "Abortion Bans: 8 States Have Passed Bills to Limit the Procedure This Year". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  20. ^ "'Trigger law' to ban abortion passes Senate".
  21. ^ "Idaho governor signs bill outlawing abortion if Roe v. Wade is reversed".
  22. ^ "Senate Bill S1385 2020 Session".
  23. ^ a b Arndorfer, Elizabeth; Michael, Jodi; Moskowitz, Laura; Grant, Juli A.; Siebel, Liza (December 1998). A State-By-State Review of Abortion and Reproductive Rights. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 9780788174810.
  24. ^ Gould, Rebecca Harrington, Skye. "The number of abortion clinics in the US has plunged in the last decade — here's how many are in each state". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  25. ^ businessinsider (2018-08-04). "This is what could happen if Roe v. Wade fell". Business Insider (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  26. ^ "Here's Where Women Have Less Access to Planned Parenthood". Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  27. ^ McCann, Allison (May 23, 2017). "Seven states have only one remaining abortion clinic. We talked to the people keeping them open". Vice News. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  28. ^ Cates, Willard; Rochat, Roger (March 1976). "Illegal Abortions in the United States: 1972–1974". Family Planning Perspectives. 8 (2): 86. doi:10.2307/2133995. JSTOR 2133995. PMID 1269687.
  29. ^ "Abortion Surveillance --- United States, 2000". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  30. ^ "Abortion Surveillance --- United States, 2001". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  31. ^ "Abortion Surveillance --- United States, 2003". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  32. ^ "Guttmacher Data Center". data.guttmacher.org. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  33. ^ "No. of abortions among women aged 15–19, by state of residence, 2013 by racial group". Guttmacher Data Center. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
  34. ^ "Views about abortion by state - Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  35. ^ a b c d "Abortion Incidence and Services in the United States, 1995-1996". Guttmacher Institute. 2005-06-15. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  36. ^ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2017). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2014". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 66 (24): 1–48. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6624a1. ISSN 1546-0738. PMC 6289084. PMID 29166366.
  37. ^ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2018). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2015". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 67 (13): 1–45. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6713a1. ISSN 1546-0738. PMC 6289084. PMID 30462632.
  38. ^ Jatlaoui, Tara C. (2019). "Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2016". MMWR. Surveillance Summaries. 68. doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6811a1. ISSN 1546-0738.
  39. ^ Bacon, John. "Abortion rights supporters' voices thunder at #StopTheBans rallies across the nation". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  40. ^ Jacobson, Mireille; Royer, Heather (December 2010). "Aftershocks: The Impact of Clinic Violence on Abortion Services". American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 3: 189–223. doi:10.1257/app.3.1.189.
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