The Idaho Legislature passed a bill banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, now sending it to Gov. Brad Little’s desk for signature.
The legislation passed the state House 51 to 14 after clearing the state Senate earlier this month, Just the News reports.
The bill includes exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.
Under Idaho’s bill, modeled somewhat after the Texas abortion bill, only family members can file the lawsuit against anyone facilitating an abortion. This includes the fetus’ father, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
The bill also limits the time window for filing cases against abortion providers to four years after the abortion.
Should Gov. Little sign the legislation, it could become law by April.
On Monday, Planned Parenthood Action blasted the bill in a tweet.
“Anti-abortion lawmakers ignored public opinion and rushed to capitalize on the U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to block Texas’s ban,” the group tweeted. “We’re angry. But we’re NOT giving up.”
Republican lawmakers in Idaho, on the other hand, celebrated its passage.
“Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to halt the slaughter of the unborn in Idaho,” Idaho Republican state Sen. C. Scott Grow said. “No matter that outcome of the Mississippi challenge, between now and the time of that Supreme Court decision, this Idaho bill will potentially deter the abortion of hundreds.”
