Idaho protects babies, pregnant minors from “abortion trafficking”

On Wednesday, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed the first law making it a crime for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent. Idaho already protects unborn babies from abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Under HB 242, an adult could get two to five years in prison for helping a minor cross state lines to get an abortion or obtain abortion drugs. In addition to the criminal charges, parents can also sue others who help their child obtain an abortion—with an exception for cases of parental rape.

Doesn’t the Constitution protect interstate travel? The Fourteenth Amendment protects the right to move freely among the states, but the Idaho law only criminalized the in-state section of a trip to an out-of-state abortion provider. Idaho is one of 13 states that protect babies in almost every case and is one of just a few that criminalizes helping someone get an abortion. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Jeff Palomino’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about women who use Google to search for pregnancy treatment.