Idaho Pro-Life Victory: Almost All Abortions Banned in Idaho

Late last night, a draft copy of this email was accidently sent to our email list as we were preparing to send it this morning. Below is the accurate email. Please accept our apologies!

Friends,

It keeps getting better and better. As of today, most abortions in Idaho are now illegal!

That’s because the Idaho Trigger law, which bans most abortions from the time of conception, is now enforceable.

In the last few weeks, we’ve seen our prayers answered in miraculous ways.

First, the civil enforcement mechanism of our Heartbeat law went into effect on August 12, effectively stopping most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy when a preborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected.

Then, just a week later, the criminal penalties section of the Heartbeat law became enforceable, making sure that abortionists can face criminal prosecution for each time they perform an unlawful abortion.

The Trigger law, which protects even more babies than the Heartbeat law, is another big step toward ensuring justice for all preborn babies. I’d like to publicly thank our friends at Idaho Chooses Life, as well as Rep. Megan Blanksma (R-Hammett) and Sen. Todd Lakey (R-Nampa), all of whom spearheaded the effort for the Trigger law in the 2020 Legislative Session.

I’ve had several people ask me whether the Heartbeat law is still important now that the Trigger law is in effect. The answer is absolutely!

Although the criminal penalties of the Trigger law supersede the criminal penalties of the Heartbeat law, the Heartbeat law’s civil enforcement mechanism remains in effect. This is important for two reasons:

1. Boise has already implemented a city ordinance declaring themselves a “sanctuary city for abortion,” and other cities may follow suit. This will make it very difficult for prosecuting attorneys to criminally charge those who perform unlawful abortions under the Trigger law.

2. Prosecuting attorneys may not always have enough evidence to criminally convict an abortionist who violated the provisions of the Trigger law. Sometimes prosecutors may not file charges when they know a crime was committed simply because they don’t have the evidence necessary to secure a conviction.

In both of these scenarios, the civil enforcement mechanism of the Heartbeat law is indispensable. By allowing family members of an unlawfully aborted baby to sue the abortionist for at least $20,000 in damages, the Heartbeat law may provide the only recourse available to hold abortionists accountable for their illegal actions, even if they never face criminal prosecution.

Today is a day for the history books. Thanks to the providence of God and the hard work of the pro-life movement in our state, more precious preborn babies are being saved than at any point since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973—and that’s worth celebrating!

Standing for life,

Blaine Conzatti

President, Idaho Family Policy Center