What the Reproductive Rights Ballot Initiative Would Do, and How to Sign It
DRIGGS — A statewide petition drive to put reproductive rights on Idaho's November ballot enters its final 24 days, and Teton Valley volunteers are collecting signatures at four local businesses through the April 30 deadline.
The initiative, called the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, would restore abortion access through fetal viability, about 24 weeks of pregnancy. It would also protect access to contraception, fertility treatments including IVF, and miscarriage care. If the petition qualifies and voters approve it in November, the measure would override Idaho's near-total abortion ban, Idaho Code § 18-622, which has been in effect since August 2022.
The campaign needs 70,700 verified signatures from at least 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts. Organizers set an internal goal of 100,000 to account for signatures that fail verification. Teton Valley News reported roughly 55,000 collected statewide as of April 1, though the Post Register reported 63,000 signatures as of January 18. The Valley Signal could not independently verify a current count.
What the initiative says
The petition text establishes a right to "reproductive freedom and privacy," defined as the right to make decisions about pregnancy, contraception, fertility treatment, prenatal and postpartum care, childbirth, miscarriage care, and abortion care.
The state could not "directly or indirectly infringe, burden, or prohibit" that right unless it demonstrates a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means, according to the petition filed with the Secretary of State.
The measure allows abortion through fetal viability and after viability only in cases of medical emergency. It does not define "medical emergency" more narrowly than current medical practice.
Opponents, led by Right to Life of Idaho under the campaign name "Too Extreme for Idaho," argue the initiative goes beyond restoring pre-2022 standards. They contend it would allow abortion by non-physician providers, remove parental consent requirements for minors, and permit elective abortion through 24 weeks of pregnancy. Supporters frame it as a restoration of the standards Idaho followed for nearly 50 years before the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision.
What Idaho law says now
Idaho Code § 18-622, the "Defense of Life Act," criminalizes performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Providers face two to five years in prison and a minimum six-month license suspension for a first offense, with permanent revocation for subsequent offenses. Pregnant women are exempt from prosecution.
The law includes two narrow exceptions. A provider may perform an abortion to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, based on good faith medical judgment, but mental health conditions do not qualify, even if the patient faces risk of death from self-harm. A provider may also perform an abortion in cases of rape or incest, but only in the first trimester and only if the patient has filed a report with law enforcement.
A second statute, Idaho Code § 18-8801, prohibits abortion after detection of fetal cardiac activity, approximately six weeks. That law includes a civil provision allowing family members of the pregnant person to sue the provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages.
Since the ban took effect, Idaho has lost a net 94 obstetricians, a 35% decline. Of the state's 268 practicing OB-GYNs, 114 left or stopped practicing obstetrics. Twenty new OB-GYNs arrived in the same period, according to a 2025 analysis by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
What signing the petition does
Signing the petition does not cast a vote for or against the initiative. A signature is a registered voter's authorization to place the measure on the November 2026 general election ballot.
Signers must be registered Idaho voters. Signing carries no personal legal obligation and does not commit the signer to voting for the measure.
After the April 30 deadline, county clerks have 60 days to verify signatures. Clerks remove signatures from unregistered voters, signatures that do not match records on file, and signatures from voters who request removal in writing. The Idaho Secretary of State then certifies whether the initiative qualifies. If it does, a simple majority of voters in November would enact it as state law.
Teton Valley's outsized role
District 35, which includes Teton, Bear Lake, and Caribou counties along with portions of Bonneville and Bannock counties, must contribute 2,600 signatures to meet the 6% threshold. Organizers must collect signatures from roughly 25% of Teton County's 8,000 registered voters, four times the rate required in more populated districts.
As of mid-February, organizers had collected about 1,700 signatures in District 35, with 90% coming from Teton County, according to Teton Valley News. That left 900 signatures to collect in 10 weeks.
Erica Linnell, the valley's lead organizer, has recruited more than 25 volunteers for the signature drive. "In Teton Valley, we have one OB-GYN in Jackson, one OB-GYN who travels from Idaho Falls," she told Teton Valley News in December. "There's not a lot of access when you live in the middle of nowhere."
Where to sign in Teton Valley
Registered Idaho voters can sign the petition at four locations:
- Peak Printing — available anytime during business hours
- Fireweed Shop and Studios — available anytime during business hours
- Violet Volumes — available anytime during business hours
- Wydaho Roasters — Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to noon
Idahoans United for Women and Families lists additional signing events at backtoidaho.com/events. Volunteers seeking to help with signature collection can sign up at mobilize.us/idahosunited.
What to watch
The petition deadline is April 30. If organizers fall short in any of the required 18 legislative districts, the initiative does not make the ballot regardless of the statewide total. District 35's signature count, driven by Teton County, is still short of the 2,600 threshold. A January 2026 Boise State poll found 59 to 61% of Idahoans support the measure.
Sources: Idaho Code § 18-622, Idaho Code § 18-8801, Idaho Secretary of State initiative process guidelines, Ballotpedia, Teton Valley News ("Valley mobilizes for reproductive rights," Dec. 3, 2025; "Teton County is key to putting reproductive rights on Idaho's 2026 ballot," Feb. 17, 2026), Post Register, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Boise State Idaho Public Policy Survey (January 2026), Idahoans United for Women and Families (backtoidaho.com), Right to Life of Idaho (tooextremeforidaho.com).