Proposal to repeal abortion laws headed to the Senate

Republicans inside the Idaho House have advanced legislation to reverse two anti-abortion laws.

The House debate on Wednesday turned emotional as Republican lawmakers argued they were torn to vote in favor of a bill that loosens the state’s hard anti-abortion stance.

Earlier this year, a federal judge agreed to give the Idaho Legislature time to repeal two laws banning women from receiving abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine. Those laws will be deemed unconstitutional and unenforceable if lawmakers don’t take them off the books this session.

However, the bill includes language that lists legislative findings critical of medical abortions. Two Democratic lawmakers walked off the House floor while the bill was being read aloud to protest those findings, while also objecting to reading the bill on International Women’s Day.

HB 250 passed the House 52-18 and must now pass the Senate.