Originally published at National Catholic Register
After an election season dominated by abortion rhetoric, leaders of adoption organizations hope that other states will follow the latest lead: Idaho enacted this year several laws to support modern private adoption and educate young people about this life-giving option — while assisting moms in choosing life.
One reason the legislation gained traction in the Gem State is its family-friendly culture. It also was one of 13 states that had laws set to restrict or ban abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade was overturned. Idaho’s two laws restricting abortion constitute a near-total ban, with exceptions for rape and incest or to prevent the mother’s death. The ban was contested at the U.S. Supreme Court and revised this summer as a result.
About 3 million women in the U.S. face unintended pregnancies annually, according to Terri Marcroft, founder of Unplanned Good, a San Jose, California-based nonprofit that promotes mainly private adoption, who helped develop and promote passage of the Idaho laws. Marcroft cited a consensus figure among adoption organizations; the Centers for Disease Control number is closer to 3.5 million, though this tally may have been calculated differently. About 820,000 of these women are under age 18, according to
