On Wednesday, Idaho state governor Brad Little signed a bill that penalizes adults who help minors to abort without parental consent.
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The law, which classifies the help to end pregnancy as a “trafficking in abortions" crime, prohibits an adult from obtaining abortion pills for a minor or "recruiting, housing or transporting a pregnant minor" without the consent of her parents or guardians.
Citizens who violate this law will face prison sentences of between 2 and 5 years and may be sued by the minor’s parents or guardians. Parents guilty of raping their daughter will not be able to file a complaint, although criminal penalties for anyone who help her to end the pregnancy will remain in force.
The Idaho law also penalizes those who travel within its borders to a clinic in another state to abort. Women’s rights activists rejected policy and promised to fight for banning it.
Idaho state prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy and is one of the few U.S. states with laws that punish those who help people of any age in this process. Currently, 36 states in this country require parental involvement in a child’s decision to abort, although most provide exceptions for cases such as medical emergencies.
Washington, Oregon, and California states’ political leaders have presented their territories as safe places for abortive procedures. Lawmakers in Oregon and Washington are even studying bills that protect providers and patients from criminal liability.
The Oregon law would allow professionals to perform abortions regardless of age and, in some cases, prohibit them from disclosing that information to parents.