Home / News Idaho hospital stops delivering babies because of the state’s near-total abortion ban Petri Oeschger/Getty "The Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care." By Cassandra Stone March 23, 2023 Petri Oeschger/Getty Rectangle A hospital in Idaho will stop delivering babies, according to a statement provided by the hospital. Hospital managers cite the “increasing criminalization of physicians” and the “inability to retain pediatricians” as the main reasons—and both of those reasons are directly tied to the state’s near-total abortion ban. Bonner General Health, the only hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho, announced on Friday it would no longer provide labor, delivery and other obstetrical services. If residents of Sandpoint need to seek obstetrical care, they will need to drive at least 46 miles for labor and delivery care. BREAKING: Idaho’s Bonner General Health, the only hospital in Sandpoint, announced today it will no longer provide obstetrical services to the city of more than 9,000 people, meaning patients will have to drive 46 miles to deliver babies moving forward.https://t.co/5FbeV7kpCh— Kelcie Moseley-Morris (@KelcieMMorris) March 17, 2023 In the statement, the hospital said the decision to eliminate the obstetrics unit stemmed from the “political climate” in Idaho. “Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving. Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult,” the statement reads. “We have made every effort to avoid eliminating these services. We hoped to be the exception, but our challenges are impossible to overcome now.” Related: Abortion bans could have unintended consequences for fertility treatments like IVF Currently, Idaho has three separate near-total abortion bans: One prohibits abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, one bans all abortions with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the pregnant person and one allows family members to sue doctors who they believe provided abortion care in civil court. “The Idaho legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care,” Bonner General Health’s statement continues. “Consequences for Idaho physicians providing the standard of care may include civil litigation and criminal prosecution, leading to jail time or fines.” Related: Texas woman nearly dies post-miscarriage after she was forced to carry the nonviable pregnancy According to a report from the Gender Equity Policy Institute, mothers in states with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die. The report found that maternal mortality rates in states with bans was significantly higher. The combination of abortion bans, more births and insufficient care could leave states like Idaho “completely unprepared for the ramifications in the lives and health and wellbeing of women and children and families that these bans are going to cause,” Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, told Axios. The Guardian reports that Dr Amelia Huntsberger, a Bonner General Health obstetrician-gynecologist says that she would be leaving the hospital and the state because of its restrictive abortion laws, and because the Idaho legislature was terminating its maternal mortality review committee. “What a sad, sad state of affairs for our community,” Huntsberger said. Categories: News Related articles News For the first time ever, the CDC is pushing for pain management for IUD insertion procedures August 8, 2024 News Biden unveils a game-changing plan for improving maternal care in the U.S. July 15, 2024 Celebrity News Amy Schumer’s dark humor nails what women’s reproductive health could look like post-election October 27, 2022 Celebrity News Amy Schumer says IVF made her feel like she was ‘gonna die’ March 7, 2022 Viral & Trending Mom has first baby at 50 after trying for over a decade November 24, 2021