Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a first-of-its-kind law banning “abortion trafficking” Wednesday, according to the legislation.
The new law, formerly House Bill 242, defines “abortion trafficking” as any adult with the intent “to conceal an abortion from the parents or guardian of a pregnant, unemancipated minor” or obtains “an abortion-inducing drug for the pregnant minor to use for an abortion by recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor within this state,” according to the bill. The bill also allows the parents of the minor to sue anyone found guilty of providing an abortion to the child and whoever is found guilty faces from two to five years in prison. (RELATED: Idaho School Board Cancels Gender Identity Policy Following Community Uproar)
Gov. Little, however, specified that the law would not stop the family of the pregnant minor from seeking an abortion outside the state of Idaho, according to the testimonial letter.
US Vice President President Mike Pence(L) listens as Idaho Governor Brad Little(R-ID) speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2020, during an event on Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans on the South Lawn at the White House on July 16, 2020 in Washington,DC. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates-West opposes the new distinctive bill, accusing Gov. Little of ignoring the constituents and signing HB 242 to create “the nation’s first crime of so-called ‘abortion trafficking,’” according to the organization’s latest Tweet. “This legislation is despicable, and we’re going to do everything in our power to stop it.”
Idaho is one of 13 states that banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy and provided several laws that criminalize those who help people of any ages to obtain abortion procedures, according to NBC News.
The offices of Gov. Brad Little and the Attorney General did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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