This article was originally published at Prism
Soon after Texas’ SB 8 went into effect in September 2021, banning abortions as early as six weeks, thousands of people crossed state lines for abortion care. Now that Roe v. Wade is expected to be struck down after the SCOTUS draft decision leaked last week, abortion care providers and funds are gearing up for an unprecedented surge in patients from across the country where bills similar to SB 8 will go into effect. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states are likely to ban abortion if abortion rights are revoked at the federal level. In response to newly proposed anti-abortion legislation in Idaho, clinics in the neighboring states of Washington and Oregon are preparing their response by hiring more staff and fundraising to be able to meet patient’s needs.
If Roe falls, Idaho Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Janice McGeachin has already said she wants to implement the country’s harshest abortion ban, modeled after SB 8. On Monday, McGeachin insisted that Gov. Brad Little call a special legislative session to eliminate rape and incest as exceptions to the state’s abortion law.
