As more and more women delay family planning for various reasons, the risks for mothers are increasing.

The reasons for delaying starting a family are usually personal. However, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trust, more women cite attending college, paying off student loans and delaying marriage as the main reasons.

According to the Pew study, the average age of first pregnancy for most women has increased to 27.3 years, with Asian women waiting until an average of 31 years and white women delaying pregnancy until an average of 28 years.

However, with such delays come more risks, including preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, premature birth and stillbirth. The Cleveland Clinic also points out that women over 35 who want to become pregnant also face problems with lower egg quality (leading to complications for the baby) and chronic medical conditions.

Is it any wonder that so many women end up in the emergency room with problems and have to make the painful decision to have an abortion?

It is common, especially in older first-time mothers, for the fetus to not be viable. But under Idaho law, any woman who discovers that the fetal heartbeat is no longer present after six weeks can be forced to carry the fetus to term. The physical and psychological trauma of such a step is devastating, not only for the mother, but also for her partner, the rest of her family and friends.

Does the legislature seriously want to cause such chaos in the state families?

Lawmakers can, but citizens cannot. According to a 2024 study by the Idaho Public Policy Institute and School of Public Service at Boise State University, 58 percent of Idahoans surveyed believe abortion should be legal in the state.

Currently, state law states that an abortion can only be performed in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. Other medical complications make the law vague for medical personnel and confusing for pregnant patients seeking help with their health care. Some complications, especially in older women, may not mean death but could mean a stroke, heart attack or other debilitating problem.

The U.S. Supreme Court's June 27 ruling at least temporarily overturns parts of state law and allows hospital emergency rooms to perform abortions to save the mother's life even after the sixth week of pregnancy. Until then, emergency rooms had to fly high-risk patients out of state for treatment because doctors feared criminal prosecution if they acted in the patient's best interests at home.

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It really begs the question: When will lawmakers listen to the will of the people?

Beyond caring for the woman concerned, the state's abortion laws also have a potentially unintended consequence: They result in the loss of many doctors in a rural state that is already struggling to find adequate medical care.

Over the past two years, Idaho has lost 22 percent of all OB-GYNs. That's a loss of 40 to 60 doctors between August 2022 and November 2023, according to a report by the Idaho Physician Well-Being Collaborative and the Idaho Coalition for Safe Health Care. The report also says half of the state's 44 counties have no practicing obstetricians.

The loss of maternal health care means higher mortality rates and poor overall pregnancy outcomes. Currently, Idaho ranks among the 10 percent of the country with the worst maternal health care, and the exodus of physicians is only exacerbating the problems.

The ripple effect affects other doctors as well, meaning overall health care in the state suffers. If people don't have access to health care, they will also leave the state.

Added to this is the contradiction that the state's Republican Party opposes artificial insemination for women who want to have a family but cannot become pregnant through natural means.

What does the party want – people who want a family, or the desire to force people to have children when the consequences of an unviable pregnancy have devastating consequences for the family?

Overall, abortion is a form of health care. Access to safe abortion is not forced on every woman who becomes pregnant, but for some women who – for medical or personal reasons – cannot carry the fetus to term, it is necessary. As the old saying goes, if you don't want an abortion, don't have it.