Idaho State Legislature Passes Texas-Style Bill to Ban Abortion at Six Weeks

 

The Idaho State Legislature passed a Texas-style abortion bill on Monday banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.   The law would allow any family members to file a lawsuit against providers. However, this bill does not apply to unwanted pregnancies due to rape, incest, and medical emergencies.

The state legislature passed the bill by 51-14 votes and headed to Republican Gov. Brad Little for signature. 

FOX News reported:

The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill Monday banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and allowing family members to sue any doctor who performs one. 

The bill, which passed 51-14 and now heads to Republican Gov. Brad Little’s desk after having previously been passed by the Idaho Senate, makes Idaho the first state to pass legislation mirroring the controversial Texas law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Like the law in Texas, the Idaho bill enforces the ban by allowing private individuals to bring suit in state court against people who allegedly perform such illegal abortions. The bill includes exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies. 

The proposed Idaho law allows those who would have been the father, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles of an aborted unborn baby to sue an abortion provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages within four years of the abortion.

Meanwhile, Texas struck a major victory for the unborn when the “Heartbeat Bill” was signed into law.

The law outlawed all abortions after a fetal cardiac activity is detected – unless there is a medical emergency involving the mother.

Abortions in Texas plummeted after the signing. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against abortion providers — effectively ending challenges to the abortion bill.