Sixty-four Idaho legislators have put their names on one page and said, plainly, what Proposition 1 is. Not a restoration. Not a compromise. A statute that would make abortion an absolute right in Idaho law.
The letter, titled “Idaho Legislators Urge Voters to Reject Proposition 1,” was organized by Sen. Brandon Shippy of District 9. It carries the signatures of 25 senators and 39 representatives from 29 legislative districts, and it is not finished. Sen. Shippy is still accepting signatures.
The letter explains plainly, “Proposition 1 would enshrine an absolute so-called ‘right to abortion’ in Idaho state statute, allowing unlimited abortion on demand from fertilization through the point of viability outside of the womb.”
Then it points to the trapdoor. “Furthermore, since the ‘medical emergency’ standard is undefined, the statute enacted by Proposition 1 could be construed to allow abortion well past viability in the third trimester.”
That is the part the YES campaign messaging skips. A law is not what its sponsors say it means on television. A law is what its words allow a court to do. Leave a key term undefined and you have not drawn a line. You have drawn a suggestion.
The legislators do not dress up their reasoning in focus-group language. “Creating a statutory right to abortion would be an assault on the image of God and would be unconstitutional,” says the letter.
The letter cites Genesis 1:26, Genesis 9:6, James 3:9 and Acts 17:28, and quotes Psalm 139: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” And they draw the conclusion without flinching: “Every child, born or preborn, is loved by God, who is the creator of all things and the rightful author of life and death.”
There is something bracing about elected officials saying that out loud. Most politicians spend their careers trying not to say anything. These signed a letter that says the quiet conviction of most Idaho families, in plain words, with chapter and verse.
The letter also makes a legal case. Prop 1, the signers argue, “would violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which declares that no state shall ‘deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.'” Allowing “the wholesale slaughter of preborn persons blatantly violates the constitutional requirement for the state of Idaho to provide equal protection of the laws to every person in its jurisdiction.”
Strip away the noise and the question is simple. Is the child a person or not? If she is, the law owes her the same protection it owes the rest of us.
The closing is the heart of it. “As Idaho legislators, we desire to build a culture where children and families are cherished and protected,” they write, a goal that “can only be realized when children are no longer viewed and treated as burdens, but as blessings. The Bible teaches us that children are a heritage from the Lord. By enshrining the right to kill children in statute, Proposition 1 affirms the opposite. Building a better and more loving community for future generations requires us to reject Proposition 1 on November 3.”
One thing to reiterate, the letter is new, and many legislators may not have had a chance to see or read it yet. Sen. Shippy is allowing more signatures to be added, and the list is expected to grow. If you believe your legislator should sign, share this article with them and ask them to get in touch in Senator Shippy.
The signers (25 senators, 39 representatives, 29 districts)
Respectfully,
Rep. Cornel S. Rasor, District 1
Rep. Heather Scott, District 2
Rep. Dale R. Hawkins, District 2
Rep. Jordan Redman, District 3
Sen. Doug Okuniewicz, District 3
Rep. Vito Barbieri, District 3
Sen. Ben Toews, District 4
Rep. Joe Alfieri, District 4
Rep. Elaine Price, District 4
Sen. Carl J. Bjerke, District 5
Rep. Tony Wisniewski, District 5
Sen. Daniel D. Foreman, District 6
Rep. Brandon Mitchell, District 6
Sen. Cindy J. Carlson, District 7
Rep. Charlie Shepherd, District 7
Rep. Kyle Harris, District 7
Rep. Robert “Rob” Beiswenger, District 8
Sen. Christy Zito, District 8
Rep. Faye Thompson, District 8
Sen. Brandon Shippy, District 9
Rep. Judy Boyle, District 9
Rep. John Shirts, District 9
Rep. Bruce D. Skaug, District 10
Sen. Tammy Nichols, District 10
Rep. Mike Moyle, District 10
Rep. Lucas B. Cayler, District 11
Rep. Kent A. Marmon, District 11
Sen. Camille Blaylock, District 11
Rep. Jeff J. Cornilles, District 12
Rep. Jaron Crane, District 12
Rep. Steven Tanner, District 13
Sen. Brian Lenney, District 13
Rep. Brent Crane, District 13
Rep. Ted Hill, District 14
Rep. Josh Tanner, District 14
Sen. C. Scott Grow, District 14
Sen. Codi Galloway, District 15
Sen. Josh Keyser, District 20
Rep. Joe A. Palmer, District 20
Rep. Jeff Ehlers, District 21
Sen. Treg A. Bernt, District 21
Sen. Lori Den Hartog, District 22
Rep. John Vander Woude, District 22
Sen. Todd M. Lakey, District 23
Rep. Chris Bruce, District 23
Rep. Shawn Dygert, District 23
Rep. Clint Hostetler, District 24
Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, District 24
Rep. David J. Leavitt, District 25
Sen. Joshua Kohl, District 25
Sen. Kelly Arthur Anthon, District 27
Rep. Tanya Burgoyne, District 29
Sen. Julie VanOrden, District 30
Rep. David M. Cannon, District 30
Rep. Rod Furniss, District 31
Sen. Van T. Burtenshaw, District 31
Rep. Jerald Raymond, District 31
Sen. Kevin Cook, District 32
Rep. Erin M. Bingham, District 32
Rep. Barbara Ehardt, District 33
Rep. Marco Adam Erickson, District 33
Sen. Dave Lent, District 33
Sen. Doug Ricks, District 34
Sen. Mark Harris, District 35