Abortion info fight targets university but affects far more

A box truck equipped with a bright LED billboard began circling around University of Idaho campus Friday.

“Pregnant? You still have a choice,” read one of bright blue-and-white messs flashing across side. “You can still get abortion pills by mail,” read ar mess.

moving billboard was a salvo by Mayday Health against Idaho’s anti-abortion laws, including some that prohibit state employees from promoting or endorsing abortion or emergency contraception. organization seeks to inform people in anti-abortion states how to access abortion and contraception.

Mayday Health chose Moscow, Idaho, for action after university warned employees t to refer students to abortion or birth control providers lest y run afoul of state laws.

“This effort is part of protecting free speech and First Amendment,” said Kaori Sueyoshi, Mayday Health 's head of strategy, on Friday morning. “We want to make sure that students at University of Idaho and surrounding area have accurate information about how to get birth control pills, Plan B (emergency contraception) as well as how to get safe abortion access.”

University of Idaho Provost Torrey Lawrence said legal guidance simply was intended to protect staffers. Boise State University recently issued similar, albeit less strict, advice.

“Some employees were t aware of it, and ors had actually asked for legal guidance,” Lawrence told Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. “Because our employees are paid on state funds, this could result in criminal prosecution.”

But UI memo was shared to social media sites like Reddit and Twitter, quickly making waves in a country still grappling with U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning abortion rights. White House press secretary condemned memo. Some TikTok users — and some major media organizations — falsely claimed university had “banned” birth control for students.

And some of Idaho's or 900,000 or so employees began wondering what laws could mean for m.

At this point, re's t much direction from elected officials. Rep. Brent Crane, one of sponsors of 2021 “ Public Funds for Abortion Act,” said laws frequently have to be refined after y're passed to work out kinks, and he's unconcerned that process could take a year or more.

Idaho Attorney General’s office said questions regarding laws should be directed to county prosecutors, who have enforcement duties. Idaho’s prosecutors are elected in each of state’s 44 counties, so answers to enforcement questions could change from region to region and year to year.

Avoiding doing anything that appears to promote abortion on job may be easy for a farmer appointed to Idaho Bean Commission or a geologist who maps minerals for Idaho Geological Survey. But law is murkier for ors who receive state funds.

Could a dinner table discussion about politics in front of a teen foster child be considered “promoting abortion,” especially if part of dinner was covered by foster parents' $584 monthly stipend from state? Would an Idaho Public Television reporter risk prosecution if a viewer says an interview of a Planned Parenthood representative gave abortion advocate too much air time?

A spokesperson with Idaho Department of Health and Welfare did t immediately kw if law would apply to foster parents and said he would work on finding answer Friday.

Bill Manny, an executive producer for Idaho Public Television, is t worried about facing prosecution as long as his organization continues to do its job well in informing viewers and voters about issues of day.

“I can’t imagine that anyone who drafted law or interprets law envisioned stopping people of good faith from talking about important public policy issues in our state,” Manny said. “That’s what we do with our programs and that’s what we do with our debates, and we think that’s right way to move forward.”

But in a recent podcast by Melissa Davlin , lead producer of Idaho Public Television’s news show Idaho Reports , former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones said law tramples First Amendment rights and could put public outlet journalists at risk.

“I think that somebody could make a complaint that you had a guest on that was promoting abortion so you must have been complicit in it,” Jones said during podcast. “It’s a matter of saying, ‘Keep your mouth shut, don’t talk about se subjects,’ and that’s a dangerous thing for government to be doing.”

Meanwhile, University of Idaho is dealing with backlash.

“It’s t a mandate. In fact, our policies have t changed,” provost, Lawrence, told AP on Thursday. “ communication was trying to offer initial guidance on a rar vague law that’s designed to be punitive to state employees.”

school does t prescribe birth control to students, but for years has made bowls of condoms freely available in some campus bathrooms. Those continue to be distributed, but w are intended to stop spread of sexually transmitted diseases rar than pregnancy prevention.

Student medical care has long been provided by outside health care companies. Vandal Health Clinic, named after UI mascot, is currently run by a local hospital system, Gritman Medical Center. Gritman said its services, which include prescribing contraceptives, would t change.

Lawrence said he did t expect university’s contract with Gritman to be affected by law. r did he believe university’s many contracts with research and education grant partners — which include federal government, which in some cases provides abortions through U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — would be affected.

But individual employees could face major consequences if y're charged, he said.

“ law focuses on and targets individual, so all state employees paid on state funds are implicated and at risk of very serious consequences — t only felony or misdemear charges but fines, possibly imprisonment, possibly losing your job and possibly being barred from ever working for state again,” Lawrence said. “Our advice is to remain in a safer position until we kw exactly how all of this is going to be interpreted.”