Georgia judge rules “Women are not community property.”

As a legal matter, “Women are not some piece of collectively owned community property the disposition of which is decided by majority vote. Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted, not-yet-viable fetus to term violates her constitutional rights to liberty and privacy, even taking into consideration whatever bundle of rights the not-yet-viable fetus may have.”

“It is not for a legislator, a judge … to tell women what to do with their bodies during this period when the fetus cannot survive outside the womb any more so than society could — or should — force them to serve as a human tissue bank or to give up a kidney for the benefit of another… When someone other than the pregnant woman is able to sustain the fetus, then — and only then — should those other voices have a say in the discussion about the decisions the pregnant woman makes concerning her body and what is growing within it.”
Exactly the point!

Read More At: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/01/abortion-georgia-six-week-judge/

Idaho in the National News

In The Atlantic…
“Dr. Kylie Cooper has seen all the ways a pregnancy can go terrifyingly, perilously wrong. She is an obstetrician who manages high-risk patients.”

“Idaho’s ban was as strict as they came, and Dr. Cooper worried about her high-risk patients who would soon be forced to continue pregnancies that were dangerous, nonviable, or both.”

Read the Full Article Here

Care Gaps Grow as OB/GYNs Flee Idaho

Not so long ago, Bonner General Health, the hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho, had four OB/GYNs on staff, who treated patients from multiple rural counties. That was before Idaho’s near-total abortion ban went into effect almost two years ago, criminalizing most abortions. All four of Bonner’s OB/GYNs left by last summer, some citing fears that the state’s ban exposed them to legal peril for doing their jobs.

Read_At:_https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-care-gaps-grow-obgyns-flee-idaho/

Idaho Initiatives to Protect Women’s Health

Aug 15, 2024 – Idahoans United for Women and Families filed four petitions for review, that would create initiatives with varying degrees of protection for abortion rights based on feedback from doctors and other Idaho residents.

Doctors say political involvement in the exam room, as well as the threat of prison time and losing their license, has made it difficult to give patients the care they need. Idaho hospital systems are sending patients out of state for care when doctors are unsure of legalities.

Read more at: Idaho Statesman – Abortion Initiative

CAN WE REGAIN OUR FREEDOMS?

We have learned through this site’s History and Stories that during the last two years, our legislature has intentionally created a health system in Idaho that is abusive and dangerous to Idaho women. This intrusive government intervention has robbed women of the freedom to make their own health decisions. It also can endanger their lives because they cannot legally be treated in Idaho. Another unintended consequence is the fact that OB/GYN’s are leaving the state at an alarming rate causing parts of Idaho to be void of Women’s Health services and stressing the remaining clinical services.

Idaho laws are very restrictive compared to other states. National reporting often cites Idaho as an example of an excessively harsh Women’s Health system.

Read more “CAN WE REGAIN OUR FREEDOMS?”

Idahoans United for Women & Families.

Our mission is to advocate for and restore access to comprehensive reproductive health care while promoting the well-being of women, children, and families in Idaho.

We believe Idahoans deserve the freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions with privacy, dignity, and in consultation with trusted care providers, clergy, and family members.

Check out their website: https://www.iduwf.org

Their ballot initiative regarding Reproductive Care Statewide – an article in The Capital Sun 4/19/2024.

“Idaho has a citizen ballot initiative process where only the Legislature can propose constitutional amendments. The initiative language for this effort must come in the form of proposed legislation for voters to approve. The state has passed many laws related to abortion that may be difficult to untangle with one piece of legislation.”