The cost of criminalizing maternal health care in Idaho

Supporters hold signs in support of their doctors and abortion access at a rally on April 21, 2024, at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise. (Otto Kitsinger for States Newsroom)

As more women delay having families for a variety of reasons, there are more risks for the mother.

The reasons for delaying the start of a family are usually personal, although more women say attending college, dealing with student loan debt and delaying marriage are the top reasons found by a Pew Charitable Trust study .

The Pew study reports the average age for first-time pregnancies has increased to 27.3 years old for most women, with Asian women waiting until an average age of 31 years and white women delaying pregnancy until an average of 28 years.

But with such delays also comes more risks, including pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, premature births and still births. The Cleveland Clinic also notes women past the age of 35 wanting to get pregnant also have issues with lower egg quality (resulting in complications for the child) and chronic medical conditions.

Is it any wonder why so many women who experience problems find themselves in an emergency room needing to make the painful decision about ending the pregnancy?

Especially for first-time older mothers, a non-viable fetus is common. Yet under Idaho law, any women who discovers the fetus no longer has a heartbeat after six weeks can be forced to carry the fetus to “term.” The physical as well as psychological trauma of such a move is devastating, not just to the mother but also to her partner, the rest of her family and friends.

Does the Legislature seriously want to create such chaos in state families?

Legislators may, but the citizens do not. A 2024 study by the Boise State University’s Idaho Public Policy Institute and School of Public Service said 58 percent of surveyed Idahoans say abortion should be legal in the state.

Currently, state law says an abortion can only be performed in case of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. Other medical complications makes the law vague for medical personnel, and confusing for pregnant patients who need help with their health care. Some complications, especially in older women, may not mean death but it may mean stroke, heart attack or another debilitating issue.

The June 27 U.S. Supreme Court ruling at least temporarily stays parts of state law, allowing hospital emergency rooms to perform an abortion to save the life of the mother past the six weeks mark. Until then, emergency rooms were flying high-risk patients out of state for their care, the physicians fearful of being prosecuted if they acted in the patient’s best interest at home.

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It really begs the question: When will the legislators listen to the will of the people?

Beyond care for the woman involved, state abortion laws are also doing something possibly unintended: the loss of many physicians in a rural state already struggling with finding adequate medical care.

In the past two years, Idaho has lost 22 percent of all OB-GYN physicians. That is a loss of 40 to 60 physicians between August 2022 and November 2023, said a report by the Idaho Physician Well-Being Collaborative and the Idaho Coalition for Safe Health Care. The report also said half of the state’s 44 counties do not have any practicing obstetricians.

The loss of maternal health care means higher mortality rates and overall poor pregnancy outcomes. Currently, Idaho is the lower 10 percent of the country in maternal health care, the exodus of physicians is only increasing problems.

The ripple effect also goes on to include other physicians, meaning overall health care in the state is suffering. If people cannot get access to health care, they will also leave the state.

Add to this the oxymoron of the state Republican Party coming out against IVF for women who want a family but cannot conceive normally.

Which does the party want – people who want families or a desire to force people to have children when the result of a non-viable pregnancy is disastrous to the family?

Overall, abortion is a form of health care. Access to safe abortions is not forced upon every woman who becomes pregnant, but it is necessary for some women who – for either a medical or personal reasons – cannot carry a fetus to term.  As the old saying goes, if you do not want abortion, don’t have one.

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