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HONORED TO BE ENDORSED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD
The Fight of Our Lives!
I am honored to receive the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, an organization I have worked with for years to increase access to a full range of reproductive health care including abortion care.
We are facing very difficult times where extremists are attacking our freedoms and access to basic health care and a GOP controlled legislature that has been on a crusade to ban all abortion care and force pregnancy.
Taking away the right to safe and legal abortion is only the beginning; access to different types of birth control as well as other freedoms to privacy, like marriage equality, are all at risk. As a reminder, the Idaho GOP platform calls to overturn marriage equality. Enforcement of these cruel laws will require a massive
expansion of government that would look more like Russia than America.
DOJ and District Courts Intervene
On August 25, 2022, Idaho's near total abortion ban went into effect just one day prior to Women's Equality Day, the day that commemorates when American women finally got the right to vote (1920) with the passage of the 19th amendment to the constitution. Earlier in the month, the Department of Justice sued Idaho for infringing on Idahoan's rights to access medical treatment for abortion care in an emergency situation where the health and safety of the pregnant person was in jeopardy. Thankfully, Judge Winmill issued a stay on Aug. 24, but it was extremely limited in scope. It applies only to emergency medical treatment in a hospital when a pregnant woman faces grave bodily harm unless she can have an abortion - harm such as amputation, paralysis, major damage to body organs, permanent infertility, life threatening infection and possibility of death. Federal law requires treatment in such cases, and Judge Winmill found that Idaho's law unconstitutionally conflicts in those emergency circumstances. All other non emergency abortions remain banned under his order.
The total abortion ban in question should never have been passed in the first place. It is an outrage that GOP legislators place so little value on women's health that they are ready and eager to deny them critical emergency care. While they undoubtedly thought this law would never take effect due to Roe, the monster they created is now coming to life, and we should be grateful that the court blocked it from jeopardizing women's lives in these narrow circumstances. (Click here to read my Op Ed).
More fall out from these cruel and poorly written laws occurred just a few days ago when the University of Idaho issued a memo to its employees prohibiting birth control counseling, issuing of emergency contraception except to rape victims, and limiting other related types or student support. I am so disappointed in the university to go this far. The university's intent may have been to clarify the problems that the state legislature created, but students, faculty and staff are caught in the crosshairs with no support or offer of help. Universities should be a bastion of free speech and free exchange of ideas, not a place where the First Amendment is gutted.
To be clear: Plan B, emergency contraception, is legal in Idaho. Griswold v Connecticut (1965) secured the right to privacy to access contraception. That is the federal law of the land and federal law "trumps" state law when they are in conflict. The Dobbs decision struck down 50 years of a legal precedent and gave the states the right to make policy about abortion, but contraception was not a part of that ruling.
On October 6, the Idaho Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a Planned Parenthood case to determine which of Idaho's abortion laws, if any, might be struck down as unconstitutional. As with the other two hearings, I will attend that morning. In their efforts to ban all abortions, Idaho's GOP has created a landmine field that is very difficult for physicians to navigate. Under Idaho's current abortion laws, patients experiencing miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, high-risk health conditions, cancer patients, and wanted pregnancies with devastating fetal conditions that are not compatible with life will be forced to continue a pregnancy that puts their health and their lives at risk.
Medical emergencies happen, often unexpectedly. While termination of pregnancy is unfortunate, it is sometimes necessary to stabilize a patient in a variety of serious medical scenarios that arise in pregnancy. Tying physicians' hands as they assess and treat emergency medical conditions puts lives in jeopardy.
And it's not just "extremists" politicians making these laws. Politicians like Senator Lakey, the chair of Senate Judiciary a Rules, has made his position clear when in committee he stated that the life of a fetus or zygote is more important than the life of the mother. We must continue to fight for our rights and human dignity as the GOP continues to take outrageous positions.
QUESTIONS ON THE BALLOT
SJR 102 Constitutional Amendment
I urge your ‘No’ vote in the proposed Constitutional amendment on your ballot. Idaho has functioned well since our state’s founding with a part-time legislature where the Governor can call a special session as needed. If the legislature is given the power to call itself back into session, as proposed by this amendment, we will move closer to a year-round legislature where citizens must be on the watch at all times to protect their interests. In the 3 years since Utah passed a similar amendment, Utah’s legislature has had 11 special / extraordinary sessions. Idaho should not go down this path – it is unnecessary and will prove very costly to taxpayers.
Advisory Question The advisory vote is non-binding, meaning it changes no laws or statutes. This is a self-serving question, poorly worded to frame the issue positively to allow the Governor to pat himself on the back. The Governor called the legislature back to a special session that lasted one day - Sept. 1. The Legislature passed a bill that created $500 million in tax rebates, lowered the state's flat income tax rate to 5.8% and allocated $410 million toward public education. Reclaim Idaho backed the Governor and the legislature into a corner with enough signatures to get a question on the ballot to fund education at higher levels by increasing corporate income taxes and taxes paid by those earning $250K (filing single) or $500K (filing jointly). So, the Gov called the special session to try to secure funding by bartering with GOP to incorporate a flat tax and enacting yet another income tax rebate that still benefits the wealthiest among us INSTEAD OF addressing property taxes AGAIN.
I'm leaving this question blank on my ballot!
ADA COUNTY ELECTIONS TO WATCH
THE COLLEGE OF WESTERN IDAHO BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION
The College of Western Idaho is governed by a volunteer, five-member board of trustees. Trustees are elected at large from within Ada and Canyon Counties for staggered, four-year terms, and derive their authority from and hold office in accordance with State of Idaho Code.
They have a great board and we need to keep them there and keep our college safe from extremists who want to take it over and censor public education curriculum.
Ada County’s rapid growth is at a critical inflection point: we need leaders who can meet this moment boldly, creatively, and urgently. Our elected officials need to work together and act decisively in the public’s best interest. We have no time to lose.
I’m a community leader with a proven track record of service, in-depth land use knowledge, and smart collaboration on big issues. I’m proud of my record of making streets better for everyone. During my time serving Eagle, I advocated successfully for improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure, multi-modal transportation, safe routes to school, increased public transit access, and agency collaboration to maximize public dollars.
I’m ready to defend our quality of life and make the kinds of investments in complete streets, cleaner air, and coordinated, responsible growth that will be felt for generations to come.
Last Day to Request Absentee Ballot: October 28, 2022
Early Voting Ends: November 4, 2022
General Election: November 8, 2022
JOYCE STEIN AWARD - Boise Women's and Children's Alliance
Teri Stein (daughter of Joyce Stein), Bea Black (WCA Director), Sen Melissa Wintrow
I was so honored to receive the Women's and Children Alliance Joyce Stein Award for advancing women's rights in our community.
I moved to Boise in 1999 and my first full time job was at Boise State University as their first Women's Center Director where I developed programs and services for our students including a 24 hour crisis line to support survivors of sexual and domestic violence. It's such a gift to be in the legislature now to be able to pass legislation that advances women's and human rights. The event was so special with people from the community who have worked so hard with me to write and pass legislation to transform how we process, track, and preserve sexual assault evidence in our state, among other things. Feeling very blessed to serve our community!
Read more about Joyce Stein:
"Back in 1973, Joyce Stein participated in a new women’s group that began as the result of a women’s conference held at Boise State College. The group wanted to continue discussions surrounding women’s issues and joined with the YWCA to open the Women’s Center in the basement of the YWCA. Joyce Stein, as a founding member and the first director of the Women’s Center, took on the issue of sexism in our community. As the group studied the prevalence of the issue, they came to the conclusion that domestic violence was a prevalent problem—which led to the YWCA’s involvement in the prevention of domestic violence...."
OUT AND ABOUT
Erma Hayman House in Boise
It was a joy to attend the dedication of the Erma Hayman House. It was a beautiful celebration of community!
For a large part of the twentieth century, the River Street Neighborhood was a working-class section of the city, and housed immigrants from the Basque Country, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Japan, Russia, and elsewhere. By 1940, housing segregation had made River Street home to the majority of Boise's African American residents. Erma Hayman and her husband purchased their house in 1948, and Erma lived there until her death in 2009. Boise’s Erma Hayman House is a cultural and historic resource.
Boise State students get a tour of the Idaho Statehouse.
Met Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, the first open transgender legislator in the U.S. who beat a 26 year incumbent Republican. Inspiring.
Stibnite Mine Tour
I learned more about the history of the mine and the environmental concerns, along with proposals for restoration. We saw piles and piles of tailings from historic mining where arsenic is leaching into the watershed on a regular basis. The question before us: what is the risk of continuing to mine even though the gold and antimony resources would benefit our economy. The antimony would be used to enhance battery storage, something that a clean energy economy needs.
However, you also have to consider risks and impacts:
the increased traffic on country roads and impacts to small towns;
the risk of a spill that could impact the Salmon River and the fishery;
potential negative impacts on the recreation industry and the wild, beauty of the heart of our state.
Perpetua Resources, the company that owns the mine, is in negotiations with the tribes impacted to ensure their questions and concerns are being addressed. They also communicate with a number of community advisory councils in the region to address questions and concerns from the people that live in the area. Environmental impact studies are still being reviewed.
Going door to door is the best way to win an election.
So, please join us on our weekly Saturday knock or when I hit the bricks during the week. It's easy! Just a few hours can make a big difference.
Paid for by Wintrow for Idaho | Treasurer Anne Kunkel
1711 Ridenbaugh, Boise, ID - 83702
