A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022
THE WEST
Idaho enacts abortion ban modeled on Texas law
BY KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press
BOISE — Idaho on
Wednesday, March 23, be-
came the first state to enact a
law modeled after a Texas stat-
ute banning abortions after
about six weeks of pregnancy
and allowing it to be enforced
through lawsuits to avoid con-
stitutional court challenges.
Republican Gov. Brad Little
signed into law the measure
that allows people who would
have been family members to
sue a doctor who performs an
abortion after cardiac activity
is detected in an embryo. Still
he said he had concerns about
whether the law was constitu-
tional.
“I stand in solidarity with
all Idahoans who seek to pro-
tect the lives of preborn ba-
bies,” Little wrote in a letter to
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin,
who is also president of
the Senate.
Yet he also noted: “While I
support the pro-life policy in
this legislation, I fear the novel
civil enforcement mechanism
will in short order be proven
both unconstitutional and un-
wise.”
The law in the conservative
state is scheduled to take effect
30 days after the signing, but
court challenges are expected.
Opponents call it unconstitu-
tional, and note that six weeks
is before many women know
they’re pregnant.
remain in place until a court
challenge is decided on its
merits. The Texas law allows
people to enforce the law in
place of state officials who
normally would do so. The
Texas law authorizes lawsuits
against clinics, doctors and
anyone who “aids or abets” an
abortion that is not permitted
by law.
A number of other states are
pursuing similar laws, includ-
ing Tennessee, which intro-
duced a Texas-styled abortion
bill last week.
White House press secre-
tary Jen Psaki said the Biden
administration knew the Texas
law would lead to other states
passing similar laws, and
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, File called on Congress to send the
Idaho Governor Brad Little, right, speaks at the White House on July 16, 2020.
president a bill to “shut down
these radical steps.”
Advanced technology can
file a lawsuit under the law, but need, including abortion,” said
“This development is dev-
detect a first flutter of electric a rapist’s relatives could.
Rebecca Gibron of Planned
astating for women in Idaho,
activity within cells in an em-
“The vigilante aspect of this Parenthood Great Northwest,
as it will further impede wom-
bryo as early as six weeks. This bill is absurd,” said Idaho Dem- Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and
en’s access to health care, es-
flutter isn’t a beating heart; it’s ocratic Rep. Lauren Necochea. Kentucky, which operates Ida- pecially those on low incomes
cardiac activity that will even- “Its impacts are cruel, and it is
ho’s three abortion clinics.
and living in rural communi-
tually become a heart. An em- blatantly unconstitutional.”
Backers have said the law
ties,” Psaki said in a statement
bryo is termed a fetus after the
A Planned Parenthood offi- is Idaho’s best opportunity to
Wednesday.
eighth week of pregnancy, and cial called the law unconstitu- severely restrict abortions in
Republicans in Idaho have
the actual heart begins to form tional and said the group was the state after years of trying.
super-majorities in both the
between the ninth and 12th
“committed to going to every Most recently, the state last year House and Senate. The mea-
weeks of pregnancy.
length and exploring all our
passed a six-week abortion ban sure passed the Senate 28-6
The law allows the father,
options to restore Idahoans’
law, but it required a favorable and the House 51-14 with no
grandparents, siblings, aunts
right to abortion.”
federal court ruling in a simi-
Democratic support. Three
and uncles of a “preborn child”
“I want to emphasize to ev-
lar case to take effect, and that
House Republicans voted
to each sue an abortion pro-
eryone in Idaho that our doors hasn’t happened.
against the measure.
vider for a minimum of $20,000 remain open. We remain com-
The law is modeled after
Little on Wednesday noted
in damages within four years
mitted to helping our patients
a Texas law that the U.S. Su-
his concerns with the legisla-
after the abortion. Rapists can’t access the health care they
preme Court has allowed to
tion.
“Deputizing private citizens
to levy hefty monetary fines
on the exercise of a disfavored
but judicially recognized con-
stitutional right for the pur-
pose of evading court review
undermines our constitu-
tional form of government
and weakens our collective
liberties,” he wrote.
He said that he worried
some states might use the same
approach to limit gun rights.
He also noted his concern
with the part of the law allow-
ing a rapist’s relatives to sue.
“Ultimately, this legislation
risks retraumatizing victims
by affording monetary incen-
tives to wrongdoers and family
members of rapists,” he wrote.
He concluded the letter by
encouraging lawmakers to fix
those problems to avoid unin-
tended consequences “to en-
sure the state sufficiently pro-
tects the interests of victims of
sexual assault.”
Little is facing a primary
challenge from the far-right
in McGeachin, the lieutenant
governor, who has been en-
dorsed by former President
Donald Trump.
Republican Rep. Steven Har-
ris, the bill’s sponsor, said in
a statement after the vote on
March 14: “This bill makes
sure that the people of Idaho
can stand up for our values and
do everything in our power to
prevent the wanton destruc-
tion of innocent human life.”
Minor rise in COVID-19 cases forecast by OHSU
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
A comparatively minor up-
swing in COVID-19 cases in
Oregon is expected to hit this
week, driven by infections of
the hyper-contagious BA.2 ver-
sion of the omicron variant, ac-
cording to a new state report.
The forecast from the Or-
egon Health & Science Uni-
versity shows a much lower
peak for the new wave of
cases, topping out at under
300 hospitalizations per day
in the first week of May, then
resuming a downward trend
until reaching current levels
again by late June.
“The primary forecast shows
a slight increase in hospital-
ized patients as the impacts of
BA2 and reduced COVID re-
strictions are experienced,” said
the report written by Dr. Peter
Graven, the chief COVID-19
forecaster at OHSU.
The forecast is part of the
mixed medical and political
signals around the nation as
the omicron surge that began
statistics in Oregon showed a
precipitous drop-off. The Or-
egon Health Authority on Fri-
day reported 189 new cases of
COVID-19 and two deaths.
Oregon hospitals reported
For the first time since
157
patients with COVID-19,
June 2020, Baker County
down four from the day be-
went a full week without
fore. There were 26 patients
reporting a single case of
with COVID-19 in intensive
COVID-19.
care units, up one from Thurs-
And as of Monday, March
day’s report.
28, the county had posted 10
Positive test results — a key
straight days with no cases.
The Oregon Health Au-
indicator of future growth
thority records cases from
of the virus — were at 2.5%,
Sunday through Saturday.
down from the high point of
Baker County had no cases
22.6% in mid-January. OHA
from March 20-26. That
has said throughout the pan-
hadn’t happened in any
demic that a rate of 5% or un-
week since the period June
der was manageable for health
20-26, 2020.
care providers.
The county had only one
The expected rise in cases
case from March 12-27.
is due to two factors, one ex-
pected, but the other an un-
welcome surprise.
in late November and peaked
Even before the official lift-
in mid-January has rapidly
ing of indoor face mask re-
dropped to levels not seen since quirements, compliance with
before the delta variant spike
safeguards was waning.
began at the end of June 2021.
OHSU forecasters said a
As of Friday, March 25, the
slowing of the drop in cases
Baker County’s
streak with no cases
hits 10 days
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mission and at the time (the
sub-variant) did not overtake
the (main variant),” Heider
said. “The wastewater detec-
tion allows experts to estimate
the proportion of each variant
circulating in a community.”
The variant of concern now
was also found in five other
communities: Astoria and
St. Helens on Feb. 24, Port-
land on Feb. 27, Lincoln City
on March 1 and Salem on
March 9.
Current vaccinations are ef-
fective against all variants of
COVID-19, he said.
Nationwide, estimates sug-
gest that this variant will
quickly become dominant. This
variant is believed to be more
contagious than the earlier omi-
cron sub-variant, but doesn’t
cause more severe illness. What
is not clear is if this sub-variant
will result in a surge that will af-
fect area hospitals.
All omicron variants so
far have proven to be signifi-
cantly more contagious than
previous COVID-19 spikes,
with the latest OHA statistics
showing 61.9% of new infec-
tions were in unvaccinated
people, while 37.7% were vac-
cine “breakthrough cases.” Of
those, 52.7% were fully vacci-
nated and boosted.
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was likely as more people be-
came exposed.
But the loosened restric-
tions also came as the BA.2
“subvariant” arrived in Or-
egon. Beginning last week,
OHA started tracking BA.2
cases, which have been small
but rising. Analysis of waste-
water around the state has
shown traces of BA.2.
The variant was found in
two wastewater samples from
Redmond on Feb. 7 and 14,
said Tim Heider, a public in-
formation officer at the Ore-
gon Health Authority.
“This was likely an intro-
duction with limited trans-
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