BALLOT PETITION: Decline to sign

Words matter. And words are tools that can be wielded to build or destroy, convince or deceive, progress or regress. 

And so, it is with the so-called “Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act” — the petition for the November ballot initiative to reinstitute abortion on demand for all in Idaho. “Freedom” and “privacy” are fundamental premises of conservativism. So, when the backers of this abortion-for-all ballot initiative chose the name for their endeavor, how sly they were to select highly appealing terms. However, much like how the terminology tangling “gender-affirming care” may seem compelling and supportive, in actuality, that phrase is a euphemism for identity scrambling, body mutilation, castration, sexual dysfunction and health-crippling ailments.  

Every conservative supports “freedom” and “privacy” but as applied to this ballot initiative petition, these words deceive. Similarly, even the words in the name of the sponsoring organization behind this initiative, “Idahoans United for Women and Families,” are deceptive. Who doesn’t want to support women and families? But how does it unite families to allow abortion for minors with no parental consent? Instead, doing so fosters familial deception and rift. That’s what you’d be advocating for if you sign the petition to get this initiative on the November ballot. 

Also consider the organizations that endorse this ballot initiative: the Idaho Democratic Party and the “Action Network,” the latter of which “empowers individuals and groups to organize for progressive causes,” according to their website. “Progressive,” huh? Another word that has been bastardized. How is it “progress” to legalize late-term abortions? In fact, it’s a regression to barbarism. 

Find out more at tooextremeforidaho.com 

Decline to sign the petition because you see through the deception.

MARIANNA COCHRAN

Rathdrum