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John,
We have a problem.
A few days ago, the Justice Department lost in its attempt to protect Idaho doctors from prosecution for performing emergency, life-saving abortions.
Last year, our state legislature made it a crime for emergency room physicians to perform an abortion, even if the patient’s health was in jeopardy. The DOJ stepped in and won a partial injunction, arguing that the state law conflicts with federal laws covering emergency care.
A U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that decision on Thursday, risking women’s lives and doctors’ careers. Unless the physician can prove in court that a patient would have died without an abortion, performing the operation is a felony in Idaho.
Now, in our own hospitals, doctors cannot perform emergency abortions even when the woman’s bodily functions, limbs, or organs will suffer permanent damage without one.
Republicans say this law will save lives. That is a lie. It will take them.
We’ve already seen this in other states with equally strict abortion bans. When faced with the decision to perform an abortion on a patient who might die otherwise, doctors are extremely unlikely to act.
If you could be arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and lose your job for doing your job, what would you do? In a life-or-death situation, even pausing to consider the options could cause irreparable harm to the at-risk patient.
Idaho women will die because of this law, and doctors will leave the state. But this news will have a lasting impact across the country, too.
In the decision to overrule the lower court, Ninth Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke wrote that the federal government has no “discernible interest” in impeding states’ “internal medical affairs.”
The next time the DOJ tries to step in to protect women in GOP-controlled states, the courts will look to this decision, and the Justice Department may lose.
What can we do, John? Until I’m elected to Congress, I’m just like you. I have no power to stop this or protect the women in my life.
The good news is this doesn’t have to last forever. Here are some important things to know if you are a woman reading in Idaho. Men, I hope you will forward and share this with the women in your life.
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2. There are social media accounts and blogs committed to reporting on the current state of abortion across the country. Following any of these can help you stay ahead of what our lawmakers might try to do next. I recommend subscribing to Jessica Valenti’s Abortion, Everyday newsletter on Substack for the most up-to-date information on the ongoing attack on women.
3. We can undo this legislative assault by voting out Republicans in the statehouse. Democrats make up only 18 of the 105 seats in the Idaho legislature, and only 30% of our lawmakers are women. To repeal this abortion ban, we have to help elect a new class of Idahoans who care about equality and women’s rights.
These are dark times, but I have faith there’s a light at the end of this tunnel, John.
I’ll continue to advocate and fight for women here as a citizen and later in Congress. Until then, stay tuned for more updates.
Your next representative,
David Roth |
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