Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

So many doctors are being driven away by Idaho abortion ban that this hospital can't deliver babies anymore

Share

An Idaho hospital has announced that it will no longer be able to deliver babies because the state’s near-total abortion ban — one of the most extreme in the U.S. — has driven so many doctors away.

Bonner General Health, the only hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho, said in a statement last Friday that which will be phased out by May.

One of the reasons the hospital says it made the “emotional and difficult decision†to discontinue these services is because doctors are leaving Idaho.

“Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving. Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult,†the statement reads.

“In addition, the Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care. Consequences for Idaho Physicians providing the standard of care may include civil litigation and criminal prosecution, leading to jail time or fines.â€

The hospital already has a low patient volume in terms of kids and births, and noted that birth levels in the area have gone down, making it hard to attract doctors when so many are leaving the state due to the political climate, according to the statement.

“Without pediatrician coverage to manage neonatal resuscitations and perinatal care, it is unsafe and unethical to offer routine Labor and Delivery services; despite our best efforts over months of negotiations,†the statement said.

Bonner General serves a community of around 57,000 people. , once Bonner General stops delivering babies in May, the nearest hospital where obstetrical services are provided is about an hour drive away.

"We have made every effort to avoid eliminating these services," Ford Elsaesser, Bonner General Health's board president, said in the hospital’s release. "We hoped to be the exception, but our challenges are impossible to overcome now.â€

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. has seen abortion rights stripped in numerous states.

In Idaho, abortion is banned in almost all cases, except to save the mother’s life or for documented instances of rape or incest. Physicians in Idaho can be hit with felony charges and have their medical license revoked for performing an abortion.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.