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Sunny. High 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Low 32F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Serving Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, Bellevue and Carey
The University of Idaho’s administration building in Moscow.
The University of Idaho’s administration building in Moscow.
BOISE—A box truck equipped with a bright LED billboard began circling the University of Idaho campus Friday.
“Pregnant? You still have a choice,” read one of the bright blue-and-white messages flashing across the side. “You can still get abortion pills by mail,” read another message.
The moving billboard was a salvo by MayDay Health against Idaho’s anti-abortion laws, including some that prohibit state employees from promoting or endorsing abortion or emergency contraception. The organization seeks to inform people in anti-abortion states how to access abortion and contraception.
MayDay Health chose Moscow, Idaho, for the action after the university warned employees not to refer students to abortion or birth control providers lest they run afoul of the state laws.
“This effort is part of protecting free speech and the First Amendment,” said Kaori Sueyoshi, MayDay Health’s head of strategy, on Friday morning. “We want to make sure that students at the University of Idaho and surrounding area have accurate information about how to get birth control pills, Plan B (emergency contraception) as well as how to get safe abortion access.”
University of Idaho Provost Torrey Lawrence said the legal guidance simply was intended to protect staffers. Boise State University recently issued similar, albeit less strict, advice.
“Some employees were not aware of it, and others had actually asked for legal guidance,” Lawrence told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. “Because our employees are paid on state funds, this could result in criminal prosecution.”
But the UI memo was shared to social media sites like Reddit and Twitter, quickly making waves in a country still grappling with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning abortion rights. The White House press secretary condemned the memo. Some TikTok users—and some major media organizations—falsely claimed the university had “banned” birth control for students.
And some of Idaho’s other 900,000 or so employees began wondering what the laws could mean for them.
At this point, there’s not much direction from elected officials. Rep. Brent Crane, one of the sponsors of the 2021 “No Public Funds for Abortion Act,” said laws frequently have to be refined after they’re passed to work out the kinks, and he’s unconcerned that the process could take a year or more.
The Idaho Attorney General’s Office said questions regarding the laws should be directed to county prosecutors, who have enforcement duties. Idaho’s prosecutors are elected in each of the state’s 44 counties, so answers to enforcement questions could change from region to region and year to year.
Avoiding doing anything that appears to promote abortion on the job may be easy for a farmer appointed to the Idaho Bean Commission or a geologist who maps minerals for the Idaho Geological Survey. But the law is murkier for others who receive state funds.
Could a dinner table discussion about politics in front of a teenage foster child be considered “promoting abortion,” especially if part of the dinner was covered by the foster parents’ $584 monthly stipend from the state? Would an Idaho Public Television reporter risk prosecution if a viewer says an interview of a Planned Parenthood representative gave the abortion advocate too much air time?
A spokesperson with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said he did not immediately know if the law would apply to foster parents but he would work on finding the answer Friday.
Idaho Public Television Executive Director Bill Manny said he’s not worried about facing prosecution as long as his organization continues to do its job well in informing viewers and voters about the issues of the day.
“I can’t imagine that anyone who drafted the law or interprets the law envisioned stopping people of good faith from talking about important public policy issues in our state,” Manny said. “That’s what we do with our programs and that’s what we do with our debates, and we think that’s the right way to move forward.”
But in a recent podcast by Melissa Davlin, lead producer of Idaho Public Television’s news show “Idaho Reports,” former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones said the law tramples First Amendment rights and could put public outlet journalists at risk.
“I think that somebody could make a complaint that you had a guest on that was promoting abortion so you must have been complicit in it,” Jones said during the podcast. “It’s a matter of saying, ‘Keep your mouth shut, don’t talk about these subjects,’ and that’s a dangerous thing for the government to be doing.”
Meanwhile, University of Idaho is dealing with the backlash.
“It’s not a mandate. In fact, our policies have not changed,” the provost, Lawrence, told the AP on Thursday. “The communication was trying to offer initial guidance on a rather vague law that’s designed to be punitive to state employees.”
The school has never prescribed birth control to students beyond some bowls of condoms that have been freely available in some campus bathrooms for years. Those continue to be distributed but now are intended to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases rather than prevent pregnancy.
Student medical care is provided by a local hospital system at the Vandal Health Clinic, named after the UI mascot. Gritman Medical Center stated that its services, which include prescribing contraceptives, would not change.
Lawrence said he did not expect the university’s contract with Gritman to be affected by the law. Nor, he said, did he believe the university’s many contracts with research and education grant partners—including the federal government, which in some cases provides abortions through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—would be affected.
But individual employees could face major consequences if they’re charged, he said.
“The law focuses on and targets the individual, so all state employees paid on state funds are implicated and at risk of very serious consequences—not only felony or misdemeanor charges but fines, possibly imprisonment, possibly losing your job and possibly being barred from ever working for the state again,” Lawrence said. “Our advice is to remain in a safer position until we know exactly how all of this is going to be interpreted.” 
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@ 2 dumb, About 6 percentTrusted Source of the reported abortions in 2019 occurred between the 14th and 20th weeks of gestational age. Less than 1 percent took place at or after the 21st week. You thrive on distortions and inaccuracy.
Good for May Day Health and their box truck billboard. That's great.
Shame on your lefties who are trying to scare people from discussing the abortion issue by threatening that people will go to jail or be sued for discussing abortion. The situation is very simple. Idaho law now stipulates that public institutions CANNOT advise students or anyone else to get an abortion. That's it. If people want to get personal advice on their personal condition, they need to speak to a medical professional.
General discussions on abortion are absolutely covered under the 1st Amendment. Can you idiots please read the Constitution?! The new Idaho abortion law does not interfere with our 1st Amendment. The fact that the crazy lefties are trying to confuse you with their lies and fearmongering, shows not only their depravity for trying to manipulate vulnerable people, but it shows more deeply their desperation in the coming mid-terms where they are trying to scare you into voting for them. Well guess what. The Supreme Court has ruled that states have the power to pass laws regarding abortions and there is NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT in the short term! Good luck getting a federal law passed anytime soon. Congress has been kicking this can down the road for decades.
Stop lying and get busy supporting pregnant women and their partners with the truth, just as this May Day Health organization is doing. All legal.
It never stops with you, lies and distortion are your stock and trade, such a jerk!!!
“If people want to get personal advice on their personal condition, they need to speak to a medical professional.”
Last I checked, Q’Anonsense, the student health centers are staffed by sai medical professionals.
As always. You are a liar. The students receive healthcare from "a local hospital system,... Gritman Medical Center stated that its services, which include prescribing contraceptives, would not change."
See for yourselves, folks. This is exactly what I'm talking about. These lefties are lying to you constantly. And they don't care when they are called out by the facts because they know that a percentage of you idiots will never figure it out.
Here's another fact quoted above; "The school has never prescribed birth control to students beyond some bowls of condoms that have been freely available in some campus bathrooms for years. Those continue to be distributed..."
Lies such at what FakeyJakey spout are designed to confuse the very real discussion regarding abortion. Notice how liars like Fakey have NEVER told you their position on abortion. They have NEVER told you at what point they want abortion to be banned. Why? One, because they support Live Birth Abortion with no restrictions (horrific!) and two, because they are hoping this will help their mid-term elections. These people are willing to have babies die for politics. Sick!
"One, because they support Live Birth Abortion with no restrictions (horrific!)". I like this the best. Doctors are provide with a table of pistols, so when the baby is born they can shoot it. No sense, your totally whacked.
"because they know that a percentage of you idiots will never figure it out." I thought that was a Republican thing, to treat their voters like mushrooms, you know the adage.
Why do you want the government to control the citizenry, as a Republican I thought you might be against government controlling our live.
Congrats, Funkhoser, you are writing in full sentences again. Perhaps, just maybe, you can process some simple facts. At least we can try.
Look up "Late Term Abortions," also called "Live Birth Abortions." Don't take my word for it. There are about 6000 LBA's performed EVERY YEAR in the US. LBA's are performed by delivering the baby feet first to the point where the head is still in the mother's body, the birth canal. That's how the doc gets around laws against murder. The doc then takes a sharp instrument and punctures the infant's skull and suctions out the brain. Voilá. Dead baby accomplished.
Pro-Lifers know these medical facts and most Pro-Abortion folks don't. Discussions about abortion should be based upon facts. I support access to abortion for early term pregnancies and no access for Live Birth Abortions. Discussions need to include the facts that there are two human lives in the decision-making process; three, if you include the father, and we should. It's not only a woman's body, it's a baby's life.
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