Idaho's Abortion Ban Takes Devastating Toll on Obstetricians, Maternal Health Care

Strategic Insights -

As Idaho advocates for reproductive freedom and access to abortion procedures in emergency situations, a new study confirms that the state has lost a significant number of practicing obstetricians since the implementation of its abortion ban in 2022. The study, published in the JAMA Network Open, found that Idaho lost 35% of its obstetricians, with 94 doctors leaving the profession between August 2022 and December 2024. The rapid decline of maternal health workers in Idaho has serious implications for the state's healthcare system, particularly in rural areas where access to care is already limited.

Key Takeaways:

  • Idaho has lost 35% of its practicing obstetricians since the implementation of its abortion ban in 2022, with 94 doctors leaving the profession between August 2022 and December 2024.
  • The majority of Idaho's remaining OB/GYN doctors practice in the state's seven most populated counties, with only 23 doctors practicing in Idaho's other 37 counties that account for nearly a quarter of the state's population.
  • Over 40% of the obstetrics doctors Idaho lost since its abortion bans took effect moved out of state, while more than a fifth retired or narrowed their medical practice focus.
  • The Idaho Medical Association has raised concerns about the unintended consequences of criminalizing medically necessary care for pregnant women, citing the loss of physicians and the difficulty in recruiting new ones.
  • Organizers are collecting signatures to qualify a ballot initiative in November 2026 that could end Idaho's strict abortion bans and establish reproductive freedom rights.

Statistics:

  • 35%: The percentage of Idaho's practicing obstetricians who have left the profession since the implementation of the abortion ban in 2022.
  • 94: The number of obstetricians who left Idaho's workforce between August 2022 and December 2024.
  • 268: The total number of obstetrics doctors in Idaho before the implementation of the abortion ban.
  • 151: The number of OB/GYN doctors practicing in Idaho's seven most populated counties.
  • 23: The number of OB/GYN doctors practicing in Idaho's other 37 counties.
  • 40%: The percentage of obstetrics doctors who moved out of state.
  • 22%: The percentage of Idaho's practicing obstetricians lost since the state's abortion bans took effect, according to a report by the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative in February 2024.

Sources:

  • "Idaho lost a third of its practicing obstetricians after near-total abortion ban, study finds" (Otto Kitsinger for the Idaho Capital Sun, April 21, 2024)
  • "Idaho is losing OB-GYNs after strict abortion ban, but health exceptions unlikely this year" (Idaho Capital Sun, April 5, 2024)
  • "Idaho banned abortion three years later, minors and seniors struggle to get routine care" (Idaho Capital Sun, June 30, 2025)
  • "Idaho refused to modify strict abortion laws despite warnings from top medical association" (Idaho Capital Sun, March 17, 2025)
  • "Study: Idaho lost a third of its obstetricians after near-total abortion ban" (JAMA Network Open, published Thursday in the JAMA Network Open, a division of the Journal of the American Medical Association)
  • "I came to provide care for complicated pregnancies, I'm leaving because of Idaho's abortion bans" (Idaho Capital Sun, February 10, 2023)