Boise, Idaho - Idaho voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have enshrined abortion rights and done away with the state's strict ban.
According to the Associated Press, 55.9% of Idaho voters opposed the Proposition 1 ballot measure, also known as the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act.
A "yes" vote on Proposition 1 affirmed Idahoans' right to reproductive freedom and privacy. Its passage would have protected the right to abortion through fetal viability, and after in cases of medical emergency.
The initiative – drafted by the group Idahoans United for Women and Families – came in response to Idaho's enactment of a strict abortion ban after the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade protections.
Idaho's current law outlaws abortions in most instances, with narrow exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnant person's life is in danger.
Proponents of Proposition 1 had lamented the risks of continuing pregnancies in Idaho under its anti-abortion law, and warned that not passing the measure could lead to the departure of even more obstetricians and gynecologists from the state.
