Idaho Bill Will Withhold Tax Dollars From Cities That Don’t Enforce Abortion Ban
A new Idaho bill aims to solve the problem of local authorities who refuse to protect unborn babies under the new state abortion ban. The Idaho Statesman reports Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, introduced the No Funds for Abortion Act to withhold tax dollars from local governments that defy the pro-life law, which the Idaho Supreme Court upheld last week. […]
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A new Idaho bill aims to solve the problem of local authorities who refuse to protect unborn babies under the new state abortion ban.
The Idaho Statesman reports Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, introduced the No Funds for Abortion Act to withhold tax dollars from local governments that defy the pro-life law, which the Idaho Supreme Court upheld last week.
On Wednesday, Skaug told the state House State Affairs Committee that Idaho will descend into anarchy if cities are allowed to ignore felony crimes.
“If we allow cities to start sliding away from the laws that are felonies in this state to say, ‘Well, we’re just not going to enforce those,’ then we’re going to end up like Portland or Seattle in the anarchy that is starting to edge in those cities,” he said.
The bill would amend a 2021 law that prohibits government agencies from contracting with groups that promote and/or provide abortions. If it passes, the Idaho State Tax Commission would hold back sales and use taxes from cities and counties whose government leaders “openly defy” the ban on abortions, Skaug told the committee.
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Additionally, the bill clarifies that the existing ban on contracting with abortion groups does not restrict classroom discussions about abortion in public colleges and schools, he said.
In answer to a committee member’s question, Skaug said his bill does not restrict treatments for ectopic pregnancies or punish doctors who provide them.
Until the abortion ban went into effect last year, about 1,500 unborn babies were aborted annually in Idaho, according to state health department statistics.
Idaho is one of 14 states that protects unborn babies by banning abortions now that Roe v. Wade is gone. The Planned Parenthood abortion chain challenged its law in court, but the Idaho Supreme Court rejected its claims Thursday, ruling, “We cannot read a fundamental right to abortion into the text of the Idaho Constitution.”
The justices continued: “To the contrary, the relevant history and traditions of Idaho show abortion was viewed as an immoral act and treated as a crime. Thus, we cannot conclude the framers and adopters of the Inalienable Rights Clause intended to implicitly protect abortion as a fundamental right.”
However, some local authorities have said they will not make an effort to protect unborn babies’ lives under the law, including the Boise City Council.
According to The Statesman:
Last year, the Boise City Council passed a resolution declaring that city law enforcement would not “prioritize” or provide “additional resources” to investigations for the purpose of prosecuting abortion providers. The resolution also said that city funds will not be used to store or share information about abortions with other government agencies, “except to the extent otherwise required by state or federal law.”
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in a historic victory for life and returned the power to legislate abortion to the people. Because of Dobbs v. Jackson, states may protect unborn babies from abortion for the first time in nearly 50 years. New research estimates state pro-life laws have saved as many as 10,000 unborn babies in just the first few months.
Currently, 14 states are enforcing pro-life laws that ban or strictly limit abortions, and others are fighting in court to do the same. Pro-life advocates expect more states will pass pro-life legislation this year.
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