Idaho Physician Stories
Clouded by the laws that we’re working under
There is rarely a pregnancy loss situation that doesn’t feel clouded by the laws that we’re working under.
Moral distress
But things can come up in any pregnancy and the laws affect all of them, whether wanted or unwanted.
Why Idaho?
Why Idaho? I grew up here. I left for college, moved around for training and did my residency in California. I loved California and felt very at home there, but Idaho was also home too.
Lawmakers: “You all have to figure it out.”
What are we supposed to do now? And the answer we got was, “Well, you all have to figure it out.”
I’m not going to escape even if I leave
I felt so much uncertainty about my decision to stay. As time went on, seeing the writing on the wall for the country—this wasn't the only state where this was happening.
Lawmakers: “We’re not doctors.”
Anytime you legislate medical care, you should probably be ready for what your contingency plan is going to be for how that legislation is going to change the medical landscape.
If you don’t believe in abortion, don’t have one.
I love helping families. My job is taking difficult situations—whether it’s diabetes, heart conditions, preterm labor—and improving outcomes.
Blackballed
I really felt like primary care was my calling. It was how I could help the most people. I also realized my interest was truly in working with an under-resourced and historically marginalized population.
You can’t get that here.
She said, well, if I ever did get pregnant, I would just not continue the pregnancy. I’d get an abortion.
Safety Considerations
I’ve had conversations with my spouse about safety, like, are you okay with me continuing to do this kind of work?
That’s prison time
We’re trained and we have the medical knowledge to practice OB.
No, not even married
Coming back to Idaho was eye-opening. Access to abortion was lacking. But it wasn’t even specifically the lack of abortion that was noticeable—as a young woman I’d get these comments, questions
We don’t have enough OBs
Idaho is unique in that we rely heavily on Family Doctors to provide OB care, particularly in rural areas.
The “A” Word
Someone on the team asked, “Is this an abortion?” And suddenly everyone backed away. This was pre-Dobbs and everyone knew that this fetus was not going to live. It was always going to die. Yet no one wanted their name on the patient’s records.