‘God-given rights’: Protesters target GOP convention after Republicans ban abortion
Abortion rights protesters targeted the Idaho GOP State Convention on Friday, chanting and hoisting signs, as Republican delegates gathered to consider new party rules.
Idaho Republicans in 2020 passed a law banning abortion, which was triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to abandon federal protection for the procedure. Idaho GOP members are gathering through Saturday in Twin Falls for their convention, a biannual meeting where delegates consider platform changes and elect officers.
More than 600 party delegates were exiting the third day of the convention when three dozen protesters confronted them on the College of Southern Idaho campus. The loosely organized event included people from Twin Falls and elsewhere, protesters told the Idaho Statesman.
Carol Carter, 77, of Twin Falls, said she was protesting to restore “God-given rights” to women before her granddaughter is born this fall.
“I want her to have the right to take care of herself and make her own choices, and I feel that way about every little girl on this planet,” said Carter, a retired United Methodist pastor. “Our bodies belong to us.”
Other demonstrators held signs that read, “Abortion is inevitable. Keep it legal. Keep it safe,” and, “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”
The Idaho Republican Party platform says that “abortion is murder from the moment of fertilization,” including cases of rape and incest.
Idaho’s abortion trigger law makes it a felony for any health care provider to perform or attempt to perform an abortion. It provides exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, but only if the crimes were reported to law enforcement.
A regional Planned Parenthood affiliate sued the state over its abortion law. The Idaho Supreme Court will hear arguments on the case Aug. 3.
This story was originally published July 16, 2022 at 11:13 AM.
