It is the eighth week of legislative session, and things are really beginning to heat up. The legislature may stay late this year, possibly until mid-April even later (legislative session is usually adjourned the last week of March).

Here are a couple updates:

1. The “No Public Funds For Abortion Act” cleared the State House of Representatives today.

This legislation (HB 220) would prevent abortion providers from accessing state and local money. It would also make sure abortion is not promoted in our public schools, colleges, and universities. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Nampa), Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa), and Sen. Christy Zito (R-Hammett). It passed the House this morning and is now on its way to the Senate.

2. The “Abortifacient and Contraceptive Mandate” was killed in the State Senate yesterday.

This Planned Parenthood-supported legislation (SB 1089) was defeated on the Senate floor yesterday. It would have required insurance companies cover twelve-month prescriptions of contraception, and was sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise).

A more radical version of the bill, which would have mandated coverage of abortifacients, was pulled earlier in the session after hundreds of you answered our “Action Alert” and contacted key senators.

Abortifacients are drugs that can end a pregnancy after fertilization. Even with the removal of abortifacient mandate from the bill, Family Policy Alliance of Idaho remained opposed to the legislation, voicing concerns about religious freedom and unnecessary regulation of private insurance companies.

We will keep you updated as the legislative session keeps progressing!