We Are Idaho Doctors Caring for Pregnant Women: Here's the Truth About Prop One 

To the Voters of Idaho: 

As the physicians and caregivers who treat Idaho families, deliver their babies, and sit at their bedsides during the most difficult moments of their lives, we feel compelled to speak plainly about the debate over Proposition One, the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act. 

Deliberate, politically motivated efforts to misinform voters on this issue are wrong and dangerous. When medical facts are distorted, it puts everyone's health at risk and undermines the trusting relationship between a patient and their doctor. 

We want what is best and safest for Idaho women and families, and that is passing Proposition One. Our goal here is simple: to counter misleading rhetoric with clear medical and legal facts, so voters can make an informed choice based on reality, not fear. 

Here is the reality. Idaho's current abortion ban took effect in August 2022 and ended nearly fifty years of the standard of care we practiced in this state. It is one of the strictest bans in the nation, and it contains no exception for a mother's health or in cases of fatal fetal diagnosis. It ties our hands when a patient is clinically deteriorating, and threatens physicians with prison for exercising the medical judgment we were trained and licensed to use. 

To be completely clear about this measure’s scope: Proposition One permits abortion only up to viability. Past viability, abortion remains banned, with an exception only for rare, medically necessary emergencies – cases determined by a doctor's judgment, not a politician's guess. 

Medical intervention to preserve a mother’s health later in pregnancy typically results in early delivery: not something considered an abortion by most people, but treated as an abortion under Idaho’s current ban. Proposition One simply ensures that when these rare, devastating complications arise, doctors can act swiftly based on their best medical judgement and in consultation with their patient’s family, not lawyers. 

It’s also important to note that Proposition One retains Idaho's current parental consent laws. Current Idaho law dictates that no physician or health care professional in this state provides healthcare to a minor without a parent or guardian's permission and that will stay the same. Regardless of our personal beliefs on abortion, we can agree on this: decisions this private, this urgent, and this complex belong with a patient, her family, and the doctors trained to care for her.

We urge you to reject dangerous misinformation and support safety, clarity, and comprehensive care for Idaho women by joining us in voting YES on Proposition One. 

The signatures below, collected exclusively in Idaho, include 311 Doctors of Medicine (MD) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) residing in Ada, Adams, Bannock, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Elmore, Gem, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Nez Perce, Teton, Twin Falls, and Valley Counties.

If you are an Idaho physician and would like to add your name, fill out the form below: