Republican politicians show zero mercy as abortion ban hurts women

By Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise
Reader Contributor

What happened to Jennifer Adkins is a nightmare any Idaho family could face. A devoted mother from Caldwell, Adkins and her husband were eager to have a second child and make their son a big brother. But a routine pregnancy checkup revealed devastating news. The fetus was nonviable and wouldn’t develop into a healthy baby. Worse still, the fetus’ condition threatened Adkins’ own health. Discontinuing the pregnancy was the recommended care. 

However, under Idaho’s draconian abortion ban, doctors and nurses face prison time for providing abortion care to preserve the health of the patient. The allowed exception is to prevent certain death. Adkins had to travel to Oregon, incurring personal financial costs, missed work days and emotional turmoil to receive care that was standard in Idaho before the abortion ban took effect. 

Rep. Lauren Necochea. File photo.

Adkins’ story is one of many. She is now standing up with others who have been harmed by this law, including physicians and Kuna, Idaho resident Rebecca Vincen-Brown, whose pregnancy involved a fetal anomaly that endangered both her health and future fertility. Together, they are suing the state to prevent further suffering. 

Last month, a judge heard arguments in the case. Anyone with common sense and compassion would want to see women and physicians prevail. Yet, shockingly, Idaho Republican Attorney General Raúl Labrador used taxpayer dollars to argue against them, trying to have the case dismissed. This is how far Idaho’s Republican leaders will go to uphold a law that harms families — using the power and trust we place in them to fight against our very lives and wellbeing. 

We would never say Jennifer Adkins was lucky; but, in recent weeks, we have seen the ramifications of abortion bans can be even worse. Two women in Georgia have died tragically because of that state’s abortion ban, which is no harsher than Idaho’s. These lives could have been saved if doctors had been allowed to do their jobs. It’s only a matter of time before an Idaho woman dies because care was delayed due to this heartless law. 

As Gail Deady, attorney for the plaintiffs, argued, the vagueness of Idaho’s law leaves doctors in an impossible position. 

“Physicians are not trained to wait until someone is at risk of death before acting,” she said. “They’re healers.” 

Yet, the fear of prosecution has already driven nearly a quarter of Idaho’s obstetricians out of practice, leaving more women without essential care. 

Our present is bleak, but our future can be bright. Throughout history, citizens have taken action to assert our freedoms when the government denied them. When we vote this November, we can vote for the Democratic candidates who will keep fighting to restore a basic freedom: the right to make our most intimate medical decisions without interference from politicians.

Rep. Lauren Necochea is the House assistant Democratic leader, representing District 19 in Boise on the Environment, Energy and Technology; Resources and Conservation; Revenue and Taxation; and Ways and Means committees.