Local statements issued after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years — a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. Friday’s outcome overturning Roe v. Wade is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
Below are statements local leaders, institutions and groups have issued.
Governor Brad Little comments on SCOTUS overrule of Roe v. Wade
Governor Brad Little commented on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
"I join many in Idaho and across the country today in welcoming the high court's long awaited decision upholding state sovereignty and protecting preborn lives. The decision provides clarity around landmark cases at the center of passionate debate in our country for nearly five decades. This is now clear – the ‘right’ to an abortion was a judicial creation. Abortion is not a right expressed in the U.S. Constitution, and abortion will be entrusted to the states and their people to regulate.
"Idaho has been at the forefront of enacting new laws to protect preborn babies. The pro-life bill I signed into law in 2020 will go into effect later this summer.
"Today's decision is the culmination of pro-life efforts to defend the defenseless – preborn babies who deserve protection. It also is affirmation of states' rights, a fundamental aspect of our American government.
"However, we fully acknowledge this monumental moment in our country's history means we must confront what know will be growing needs for women and families in the months and years ahead. We absolutely must come together like never before to support women and teens facing unexpected or unwanted pregnancies. Families, churches, charities, and local and state government must stand ready to lift them up and help them and their families with access to adoption services, healthcare, financial and food assistance, counseling and treatment, and family planning. We are being called to support women and our fellow community members in extraordinary new ways, and I'm confident Idahoans are ready to meet this responsibility with love and compassion," Governor Little said.
Jim Risch statement on Supreme Court abortion ruling
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) made the following statement upon the Supreme Court’s final ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
“Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided in 1973, resulting in the deaths of millions of unborn babies over nearly half a century. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court took a major step to right that wrong, ruling that the U.S. Constitution does not provide for a right to an abortion. The Court’s decision recognizes that states have an interest in protecting life at all stages of development by giving Americans the power to decide this matter at the state-level through their elected representatives.
“The most basic right we as humans have is the right to life. I have immense empathy for any expecting mother in difficult circumstances. As the greatest country in the history of human civilization, we should support those mothers to the best of our ability.”
Simpson statement on SCOTUS abortion ruling
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization:
“With this historic decision, the Supreme Court affirms the right of the states to protect human life. This is the correct decision and I’m pleased that the Court has affirmed my longstanding position that Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided as a political decision and not a legal one. Dobbs rights that wrong and returns the power to enact pro-life legislation to the people and their elected officials. There is no constitutional right to an abortion, and I’m relieved the Court has finally recognized that.
“As we move forward from this victory, we must remain vigilant to reject extreme, anti-life legislation that will surely be introduced in the wake of this decision. As a member of the House of Representatives, I will continue to guard against legislation that threatens the unborn and will use my voice to spread the pro-life message of hope that is so central to our movement.
“Additionally, we must not tolerate any threats to Supreme Court justices and their families in the coming days. When individuals choose violence and threats to express their policy disagreements, we are all less safe.”
IDGOP statement on Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Ruling
Today we celebrate 50 years of incredible effort to reverse a flawed 1973 ruling from an activist Supreme Court that violated states’ rights guaranteed by the 10th amendment. That power is now rightfully returned to the states.
“Today's historic Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade reaffirms the principle that all life is a precious gift from God and confirms the inalienable rights to “LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," Chairman Tom Luna said.
The Idaho Republican Party unequivocally stands for life, and we commend Governor Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, our state legislature, and Republican leaders in Idaho for fighting to defend the right to life.
Democratic legislators respond to Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade
Today is a dark day in the history of our country. The Supreme Court has struck down Roe vs. Wade, meaning millions of women have lost their constitutionally protected right to abortion access. Women in Idaho are among those who have lost this fundamental right.
The misguided decision will not end abortions. One in four women will have an abortion in their lifetime and today’s decision is unlikely to alter that. Instead, it takes away access to safe abortion care from millions of American women. The ending of constitutional protections for abortion rights harms in particular low-income women who do not have the resources to flee their home state in search of safe abortion care.
“The Supreme Court just made millions of women second-class citizens,” said House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel. “In reversing 50 years of precedent, the Court has eviscerated the fundamental Constitutional right to privacy, opening the door to big government to police the intimate details of our personal lives. Unfortunately, Idaho’s GOP politicians have proven themselves eager to flex this power - in recent years pushing to tell Idahoans what medical care they can seek, who they can love and marry, what books their kids can read and more, and have already taken steps to force women through pregnancy and childbirth against their will as soon as Roe is overturned. Idahoans can count on Idaho Democrats to continue fighting to keep government out of their private lives, and the more seats we win, the more freedom we can deliver.”
Deaths from unsafe abortions have declined dramatically since Roe v. Wade was decided and expanded access to safe, legal abortion. Studies show states with the most draconaian laws against safe and legal abortion are also the states where women suffer from lower levels of education and higher levels of poverty. States with more abortion restrictions also have highrrates of maternal and infant mortality.
Idaho is one of those states. The Idaho Legislature has passed two trigger laws that outlaw access to abortion care while doing nothing to improve health care access or outcomes or to reduce the need for abortion. Within a few weeks, safe and legal abortion will no longer be available in this state.
“Today’s decision will have especially dangerous consequences for the women and girls living in states like Idaho,” Senator Mellissa Wintrow said. “The only thing standing between them and forced pregnancy and birth - even in the case of rape and inscest - was the constitutional protections of Roe v. Wade. Now that’s gone.”
Looking forward, state lawmakers have proposed and introduced legislation that would bring criminal penalties against women who seek an abortion. They will certainly bring similar bills in the next legislative session.
Idaho Democrats respect and understand that individuals may have personally held religious beliefs. But those religious beliefs should not be imposed on their fellow citizens. Idaho Democrats will zealously fight for fundamental constitutional rights and protections from governmental overreach such as this.
“The government has no business interfering in a personal medical decision between a woman and her doctor,” Rep. James Ruchti said. “No business. That’s not how we do things in Idaho.”
IAFP statement in response to the Supreme Court Decision on Roe v. Wade
In the face of this change, the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is committed to supporting patient care, health care access, and the integrity of the patient-physician relationship.
IAFP is deeply concerned about how the recent decision of the US Supreme Court could limit an individual’s ability to make their own reproductive health decisions in consultation with their medical provider. To improve the health of patients, families, and communities, everyone must have access to the full range of health care services.
Physician members of the IAFP approach reproductive health from a variety of perspectives. The IAFP respects the diverse views and values of our members and their patients. After surveying our members, it is the majority opinion that IAFP members support access to abortion care as it has been allowed in Idaho since the passage of Roe v. Wade. The IAFP supports the evidence-based practice of medicine and opposes policies that criminalize the patient-physician relationship and inhibit the delivery of safe and timely comprehensive care.
Health care decisions should be made by patients in consultation with a trusted physician who is able to offer all information necessary to ensure informed consent. The IAFP strongly opposes any external interference in this process as it conflicts with the fundamental medical principle of patient autonomy and infringes upon the patient-physician relationship.
The IAFP supports and advocates for health equity. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive health services will lead to unsafe abortions and unsafe pregnancies which will disproportionately affect people of color, low-income individuals, rural residents, and other vulnerable populations. The IAFP is distressed about the impact of the recent Supreme Court decision on Idahoans and has formed aReproductive Health Committee of IAFP members. The Reproductive Health Committee will serve to review evidence-based practices, educate IAFP members on reproductive health topics, and advocate for reproductive health access in Idaho.
Idaho Chooses Life Executive Director David Ripley
Idaho Chooses Life Executive Director David Ripley issued a statement Friday morning in response to news that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe and Casey in its new ruling on abortion.
“We are overjoyed by the news that the great injustice of Roe has finally been acknowledged by the high court,” Ripley said. “We have long known that this day would come because America is better than the industrialized destruction of preborn children.”
“There are many people to thank for this historic development, but the highest truth is that God has heard the cries of faithful Christians over many decades,” Ripley said. “We still live in
Biblical Times.”“Now the real work of the pro-Life movement begins,” he continued. “We recognize that some will be angered and shocked by today’s ruling. We must open our hearts and homes to women in need; we must be prepared to welcome these babies spared from abortion into the human family.”
“We are grateful to our pro-Life leaders in Idaho who had the foresight to prepare for this momentous day. Thousands of babies will now be allowed to live and grow-up in Idaho. The future of our state is suddenly much brighter.”
Senator Cynthia Lummis
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement after the Supreme Court of the United States issued its opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“As a fierce pro-life advocate, I applaud the decision issued today by the Supreme Court. Abortion should have never been a federal issue to begin with, and I’m pleased the control over this issue returned to where it belongs – in the hands of duly-elected state legislatures,” Senator Lummis said. “I am also glad to see the leaked draft opinion and the attempts by leftist protestors to sway the Court’s opinion did not have any impact on this Constitutionally sound decision. I remain concerned at the precedent the leak sets, and am hopeful the person responsible for the leak will be found and prosecuted for this crime.”
Democratic Nominee to the United States Senate
“I am deeply saddened the court has decided that in today’s world women are not worthy of the basic right of making their own reproductive decisions,” David Roth said. “Unfortunately this is only the beginning. We are going to see these same arguments applied to every other hard-won civil rights victory.”
Legal Voice Statement on the overturn of Roe v. Wade
“The decision today is an unprecedented attack on the fundamental human rights of people who can become pregnant. Those of us who grew up in the shadow of the Warren Court may have mistakenly believed that the Supreme Court was a defender of individual liberty. Not so today,” says Kim Clark, Senior Attorney from Legal Voice. “That the Supreme Court would ignore how this decision will disproportionately impact marginalized communities who already face systemic barriers to access to healthcare is especially disappointing.”
The full statement can be found here.
Statement from the Wyoming Democratic Caucus
The Supreme Court of the United States has reversed its own precedent set in 1973 that acknowledged the liberty of a person who is pregnant to choose to have an abortion. This right was reaffirmed thirty years ago in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This court has chosen to curtail that freedom that has existed for almost fifty years.
Earlier this year, the Wyoming Republican Caucus passed HB92 - a trigger ban - which bans abortion in Wyoming in most cases. This law will effectively make Wyoming an abortion provider desert". The effects will be devastating on our society’s hardest hit. For many women, it will limit their ability to choose whether they fully participate in the workforce or are forced to be mothers by the state. This is reflected as well in the dissenting Supreme Court opinion,
“The majority would allow States to ban abortion from conception onward because it does not think forced childbirth at all implicates a woman's rights to equality and freedom. Today's Court, that is, does not think there is anything of constitutional significance attached to a woman's control of her body and the path of her life. A State can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”
Additionally, as a state, Wyoming has moved to attack births covered by Medicaid and does not cover or support paid family leave. It is extremely difficult and expensive to find daycare and affordable healthcare for children in Wyoming. Even the current State Superintendent of Public Instruction is moving to reject federal funding for school lunches. The state has been making it harder to succeed as a family in Wyoming while simultaneously limiting women’s reproductive choices.
For a Wyoming that sees itself as working to keep our young people, attract businesses, and bolster our economies, this decision will work against those core Wyoming values. It signals to minorities, women, and LGTBQ youth that you are not welcome here. Businesses will see that we have fewer rights in Wyoming than other states and that we do not prioritize helping Wyoming families raise their kids here.
This attack on our liberty will not be the last one, it will likely follow with further assaults on women’s rights, our LGBTQ community, and those without access to healthcare. As your Wyoming Democratic Caucus, we will resist these efforts, and are saddened and angered by our colleagues’ continual push to curtail our human rights. We remind Wyomingites that this is an election year, and voters should understand what their candidates stand for: supporting raising Wyoming families or government control of reproductive decisions.
Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss
Senate Minority Whip Mike Gierau
House Minority Leader Cathy Connolly
House Minority Whip Andi LeBeau
House Minority Caucus Chair Mike Yin
Representative Chad Banks
Representative Karlee Provenza
Representative Andy Schwartz
Representative Trey Sherwood
