BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law Wednesday making it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent.
The law is the first of its kind in the United States and creates a new crime, “abortion trafficking,” which prohibits an adult from obtaining abortion pills for a minor or “recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor” without consent. of their parents or guardians.
Those guilty of violating this law will face sentences of between two and five years in prison and may be sued by the minor’s parents or guardians. The parents guilty of raping her daughter will not be able to file a complaint, although the criminal sanctions for those who have helped her to abort will remain in force.
To avoid limiting the constitutional right to travel to another state, Idaho law outlaws only the portion of travel that takes place within its borders to a clinic outside.
Opponents of the rule have promised a legal battle.
“Once again, the Governor of Idaho has ignored his constituents and signed HB 242 into law, criminalizing the first offense of so-called ‘abortion trafficking’ nationwide. This law is despicable and we are going to do everything in our power to stop it,” Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates-West state director for Idaho said Wednesday on Twitter.
Idaho is one of 13 states that already de facto ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and is one of the few with laws that punish those who help people of any age in the process.
State leaders in Washington, Oregon and California have portrayed the West Coast as a safe place for abortion procedures, and Oregon and Washington legislators are considering bills that would protect providers and patients from criminal liability. Oregon’s would allow practitioners to perform abortions regardless of age and, in certain cases, prohibit them from disclosing that information to parents.
Thirty-six states require parental involvement in a minor’s decision to abort, although most provide exceptions for cases such as medical emergencies, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights.
