The Idaho parliament has submitted a new bill that would criminalize helping minors to obtain abortions without the parent's consent.
The bill is the first time to be created in the United States, and it would make a new crime called "abortion trafficking." It would ban adults from obtaining abortion pills for minors and from recruiting, harboring, or transporting children who are seeking abortions without their parent's or guardians' consent. The bill has been sent to the desk of Republican Governor Brad Little for his signature.
Bill to Restrict Assistance on Abortion for Minors Without Parental Consent
According to Fox 13, the penalty for not following this law would be two to five years in prison, and the parent or guardian of the child or minor can sue the person who performed the process of abortion. But the parents who have raped or have committed the crime of sexually abusing their child are not allowed to sue. Additionally, the law would only make the in-state segment of a trip to an out-of-state abortion provider illegal to avoid violating the constitutional right to travel between states.
Governor Little, who supports Idaho's abortion bans, was given five days to sign, veto and pass the law even without his signature. Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and other opponents promise to fight the law with a legal challenge if it is enacted, arguing that it is unconstitutional.
According to another source, The Guardian, the bill also contains a clause that would give the Idaho attorney general the authority to circumvent the jurisdiction of the local prosecutors in order to ensure that teenage girls who get assistance for abortion operations can still be prosecuted even if the local authorities refuse to take part.
With Republican-controlled state legislatures continuing to adopt anti-abortion laws, this bill marks a fresh attempt to restrict the freedom of women and girls to travel for reproductive healthcare. In the Dobbs case, Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault by numerous women and who voted to restrict access to abortion, has stated that interstate travel restrictions for abortion are unconstitutional.
Also, in the article, it is mentioned that some anti-choice campaigners consider this stance moderate because it does not call for the imprisonment of women within state boundaries.
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The Stance of the Advocates of the Bill
One of the bill's co-sponsors, Republican State Rep. Kevin Andrus, told The Associated Press in an interview that the measure aims to ensure that parents have a role in their children's life decisions because he thinks it will save lives. According to the shared article in Yahoo! News, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, a fellow co-sponsor, added that because abortion is already prohibited in Idaho, the legislation will hold individuals responsible who transport a kid across the border for an abortion without parental consent.
The Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, disagreed, saying that while most young people consult their parents before making decisions, some kids living in violent homes may experience physical or emotional abuse, including direct physical or sexual violence or may be expelled from the house if they reveal their sexual activity or pregnancy.
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