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Doctors Plan to Flee Idaho Over Abortion Laws

In an informal survey, 75 Idaho doctors answered “yes” or “maybe” to whether they would consider leaving the state.

Idaho doctors are considering making a run for it out of fear of facing jail time for performing abortions in the state. The Gem State’s recent crackdown on abortion practically rendered the procedure illegal, only with exceptions for instances where the mother’s life is in jeopardy and in the case of rape or incest—when there’s a police report to prove it, and for both cases, only during the first trimester. Medical practitioners can also face at least $20,000 lawsuits from the patient’s family for performing an unlawful abortion and risk suspensions of their licenses, felony charges, and time behind bars. When asked about whether the abortion laws may lead them to take off from the state, 75 Idaho doctors answered “yes” or “maybe” to an informal survey conducted by former Boise doctor Lauren Miller. Miller, who told CNN she’s scared of “being tried as a felon simply for saving someone’s life,” moved her practice to Colorado, where abortion remains legal. “We don’t know what that bar is and no one wants to be the guinea pig first test case of that,” Miller said.