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Idaho Governor Brad Little signed the Fetal Heartbeat Preborn Child Protection Act effectively banning abortion options once a heartbeat can be detected, according to The Daily Wire.
Little stated, “Idaho is a state that values the most innocent of all lives – the lives of babies. We should never relent in our efforts to protect the lives of the preborn.”
“Hundreds and hundreds of babies lose their lives every year in Idaho due to abortion, an absolute tragedy. I appreciate Idaho lawmakers for continuing to protect lives by passing this important legislation, and I am proud to sign the bill into law today.”
“We are proud that Idaho can be added to the list of pro-life states leading the charge in offering legal protection for our youngest and most defenseless residents,” the pro-life group said.
“Thanks to modern medical technology, every new parent now knows the excitement of first hearing their son or daughter’s heartbeat during early prenatal check-ups. … Preborn babies with beating hearts deserve the same constitutional right to life accorded to any other living person.”
There are exceptions to the new legislation, you may be eligible for abortion if your situation stems from rape, incest, or medical emergencies.
A woman claiming to have been raped needs to provide a legitimate police report.
Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates took to Twitter, “Let’s be clear: Nothing changes today or in the future. Abortion is still legal in Idaho.”
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wrote up a similar piece of legislation with exceptions for serious physical risk but no exceptions if the mother was raped or cases of incest.
From The Daily Wire:
A doctor who performs an abortion outside of the law’s restrictions commits a felony and can be imprisoned for two to five years and risks having their medical licenses suspended.
The Idaho state House and Senate passed the bill days apart from each other earlier this month.
Family Policy Alliance of Idaho applauded the governor for signing the law, saying it will save “thousands of precious lives.”
The bill includes a “trigger provision,” meaning it would only take effect if a similar state ban is upheld in one of the country’s federal appeals courts. “Heartbeat bills” have not fared particularly well in federal court; several similar bills in other states were struck down last year.
Idaho’s new abortion law is the latest in a string of so-called “heartbeat bills” that Republican-led state legislatures have passed, although many have been met swiftly with legal challenges from abortion groups.
— Advertisement — A day earlier, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, also a Republican, signed a similar piece of legislation barring abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That bill includes exceptions for abortions in cases where there is serious physical risk to the mother but does not make exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
“I’m keeping my promise to sign all pro-life legislation,” Stitt wrote in a tweet.
Stitt also signed two other abortion-related laws, one requiring abortion providers to be board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and another that effectively bans all abortions outside of medical emergencies by threatening medical providers with loss of their medical licenses for a year or more if they perform an abortion.
