(Tony Sifert, Headline USA) Idaho’s Republican Gov. Brad Little has signed into law Texas-style legislation that prohibits abortion after a “fetal heartbeat” has been detected and permits family members to sue any doctor who performs such an abortion, according to the Associated Press.
Idaho SB 1309 argues that “a detectable heartbeat signals . . . the presence of a precious and unique life . . . that is also worthy of our utmost protection” and therefore holds that “a person may not perform an abortion on a pregnant woman when a fetal heartbeat has been detected, except in the case of a medical emergency, in the case of rape . . . or in the case of incest.”
Although he signed the legislation and claimed to “stand in solidarity with all Idahoans who seek to protect the lives of preborn babies,” a reluctant Gov. Little also called the legislation “unwise.”
“While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise,” Little wrote in a letter to Lieutenant Gov. Janice McGeachin, who serves as President of the Idaho Senate.
Abortion bills SB1309/1358 have been signed by @GovernorLittle..
Even though..
“I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise.”
&..
“..significant concerns with unintended consequences on victims of sexual assault..” pic.twitter.com/ArZLI1hR73— KTVB Brian Holmes (@KTVBBrian) March 23, 2022
The Left, of course, is furious — the ACLU called the legislation “unconscionable” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar encouraged Democrats to “stand up and say enough and write Roe into law.”
“Unfortunately we don’t even have to guess about what this will look like, because we’ve been watching what’s been happening in Texas, so we already know what this looks like,” the Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood told NPR.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki immediately fired off a press release condemning the legislation as “devastating for women in Idaho.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to stand with women and support their right to make their own health care decisions, a constitutional right that Roe v. Wade reaffirmed nearly five decades ago,” Psaki wrote.
“And the President again calls on Congress to act and send a bill to his desk to shut down these radical steps.”
A Forbes columnist breathlessly warned that Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Ohio are next.
