Friends,
It’s been an incredible few days since God delivered our nation from the judicial tyranny of Roe v. Wade. Abortion is now mostly unavailable in ten states—including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah—and many more states will follow suit in the coming weeks and months.
That includes Idaho, where the so-called trigger law will soon make it a felony crime for any medical professional to perform an abortion. For technical reasons, we don’t know the exact date the law will become effective, but it will likely happen sometime before the end of the summer if it isn’t challenged in court first.
As I’ve said before, the trigger law is imperfect—it leaves large exceptions for rape and incest, and its penalties are not commensurate with the crime being committed. Even still, it provides a good starting point for protecting human life that we can build upon in the coming years.
So what’s the game plan for this post-Roe world? Here are five action steps we need to take as we create a culture of life in Idaho:
1. Pray and fast. Our Heartbeat law is still tied up in the Idaho Supreme Court, and it is likely that the trigger law will soon be challenged in our state courts, too.
Planned Parenthood’s last hope is that the Idaho Supreme Court declares a state constitutional right to abortion, which would amount to a devastating setback in our attempts to ensure preborn babies receive the protections they deserve.
Therefore, we need to be praying and fasting over the next several weeks for two things: (1) that the trigger law goes into effect as planned, and (2) that the Heartbeat law is vindicated in our state supreme court!
Moreover, we will still need the Heartbeat law even if the trigger law goes into effect later this summer. That’s because the Heartbeat bill functions as a backstop to the trigger law.
It’s hard to believe, but more than 80 prosecutors nationwide have already said they won’t enforce abortion bans. We don’t know if that will happen in Idaho, but if it does, or if our trigger law is tied up in a court challenge, then the families of unlawfully aborted babies could still use the private enforcement mechanism of our Heartbeat law as an alternative means of receiving justice.
And just as importantly, the Heartbeat law goes beyond the trigger law by allowing family members of an unlawfully aborted baby to receive monetary compensation for the damages they endured because of the abortion.
2. Stand firm upon the truth of Christ. We may have won the battle, but we have a long ways to go until we win the war. In the meantime, e must keep making the argument that because preborn babies are immeasurably valuable human beings created in the image of God, they deserve the same constitutional rights as everyone else. We need to buckle up for the road ahead as we keep pushing to preserve and expand these hard-won protections.
3. Legislative action. We need to use every avenue available to secure legal recognition and equal protection for preborn babies.
Not only do we need to strengthen our existing laws, but we also need to tackle long-neglected issues like abortifacients (also known as “emergency contraception”) that can end a pregnancy after fertilization, as well as chemical abortion drugs that are now available through the mail. And we can’t forget about institutional reforms to make adoption easier and cheaper!
Furthermore, there are many ways we must extend legal recognition to preborn babies in other areas of state code, including tax law, criminal law, and family law. Idaho Family Policy Center is already working on the necessary policy research and analysis to prepare for the upcoming session—and we promise to keep you updated!
4. Support your local pregnancy resource center. We’re blessed to live in a state with over twenty pregnancy resource centers standing ready to help women and families facing unwanted pregnancies. These organizations provide real hope in the form of financial support, practical assistance, and medical care so women and children can get the compassionate care they need.
One easy way to support their efforts is through purchasing “Choose Life” specialty license plates at your local DMV. A large portion of the proceeds are distributed to pregnancy resource centers throughout the state.
You can also contact your local pregnancy resource center to see if they have any needs. Donating diapers and formula—or even volunteering just a handful of hours a month—can make a big difference!
5. Give a generous gift to the work of Idaho Family Policy Center. We’re on the frontlines of the fight, working on policy reforms and educational programs to make sure abortion is not only illegal but also unthinkable. But we need your support—this really is a critical time! Make a tax-deductible gift today so Idaho Family Policy Center can continue standing firm and advocating biblical truth in this post-Roe world.
With your help and God’s grace, we won’t rest until Idaho is a place where life is cherished. These are exciting times!
Standing for life,
Blaine Conzatti
