BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The Biden Campaign is attempting to rally support of local women.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra visited Boise as part of the national Reproductive Health for All Tour.
This is the 6th state Secretary Becerra has visited on the tour. The tour is highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to protect and expand access to reproductive health care.
Healthcare providers and patients from the valley shared how Idaho's abortion restrictions have affected them personally.
One woman shared her experience of finding out her baby had multiple developmental conditions at 20 weeks. One of the conditions could have potentially put her health at risk.
She said although she and her husband had wanted the baby they decided to terminate the pregnancy.
Jillaine St.Michel said, "Trying to navigate the grief of what we had been told and the loss of the potential life we had been expecting to bring home was overwhelming... and being told you're on your own now was really devastating."
She said finding a local clinic to do the procedure was difficult. She said, "You know you get the argument from people saying just go across the state line and you can get the care you need... and that's not the case for most people."
Boise OBGYN Dr. Sara Thomson highlighted the loss of reproductive health care workers in the state and how it has impacted our community.
Thomson said, "We've had closure of 3 labor and deliveries in our state, which has expanded our maternity care deserts."
Secretary Becerra says providers are leaving due to the abortion mandates in the state.
He said, "You've lost more than half of those who deal with these kinds of cases where the law now has made it impossible for you to really know what to do best."
Senator Melissa Wintrow is the minority leader at the statehouse, she attended the meeting and said the stories shared were emotional and impactful and they reminded her that no matter what the Supreme Court ruling is, it is not enough.
Senator Wintrow said, "I'm interested to see what the EMTALA decision is - but I don't think it's going to move the needle much regardless of what the decision is. Idaho has the worst abortion laws in the country and EMTALA only provides the slimmest safety net for those women in crisis pregnancy."
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