An Idaho obstetrician is urging voters to support a ballot measure that would modify the state’s abortion restrictions, citing clinical challenges and patient departures under current law.
Dr. Becky Uranga, a Catholic physician practicing in Ada and Canyon counties for more than 15 years, supports Proposition 1. The initiative appears on the November 3 ballot and seeks to restore medical standards that existed for nearly 50 years prior to the current ban.
Uranga stated that passing the measure would allow physicians to provide care without facing felony criminalization. She noted that the existing law, enforced for four years, prohibits exceptions for maternal health or pregnancies with poor prognoses.
The restrictions have created logistical burdens for patients and providers. Uranga reported sending mid-pregnancy patients with fetal anomalies to Salt Lake City by plane because Idaho law prohibited local treatment. Some patients are considering leaving the state because they do not feel safe growing their families there.
“I have watched insurance companies deny payment for miscarriage treatment because, in medical terms, that treatment is classified as an abortion,” Uranga said.
The professional impact extends beyond individual cases. A colleague of Uranga’s left Idaho after a 25-year relationship with her patients, stating she could no longer practice under current conditions.
Proposition 1 aims to return decision-making authority to doctors and patients regarding pregnancy complications. Supporters argue the current statute creates unnecessary barriers to standard medical care for miscarriages and other non-viable pregnancies.