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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Boise County prosecutor says SB 1387 unconstitutional, he’ll sue to enjoin if enacted

Boise County Prosecuting Attorney Ron Twilegar, a former Senate minority leader and former Boise city councilman, has delivered a letter to House Speaker Lawerence Denney suggesting that SB 1387, the forced ultrasound bill, "violates Article 1 of the Idaho Constitution and, thus, the rights of women of Boise County." Twilegar said as a former lawmaker, he doesn't consider the bill dead until the session is over, even though its backers say they've now withdrawn it. "Under certain circumstances, SB 1387 could mandate a patient agree to 'forced consent' to invasion of a body with a medical procedure not recommended  by her physician, but rather a medical procedure compelled by the Government," he wrote

He wrote, "If SB 1387 becomes law ... I intend to file a civil action to enjoin any physician from implementing the provisions of SB 1387 in Boise County as a violation of the constitutional and statutory rights of women in my jurisdiction."

Twilegar said, "I'm an elected official. There are 44 county attorneys - where are they all on this bill?" You can read his full letter here.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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