Thu Mar 24, 2022 – 12:13 pm EDT
BOISE, Idaho (LifeSiteNews) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday signed a law that bans abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy and tasks relatives of preborn babies, rather than government officials, with enforcing the law by suing abortion providers.
The law, styled after similar legislation in Texas, prohibits abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. It bars state enforcement but allows the mother or other family members of an aborted preborn child, including the father or grandparents, to bring civil action against medical providers who committed the abortion.
Successful suits can net rewards of up to $20,000, in addition to legal fees. The law includes exemptions for rape, incest, or “medical emergency,” but requires women to show a police report documenting an alleged assault before an abortion on the basis of rape.
Unless halted by legal challenges, the measure takes effect in 30 days.
“I stand in solidarity with all Idahoans who seek to protect the lives of preborn babies,” Gov. Little said Wednesday, who added that he thinks past Supreme Court decisions in favor of abortion were “incorrectly decided.”
The new heartbeat law makes Idaho the
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