Idaho needs doctors: But many don't want to come

The article states why, relevant snippets quoted below. Doctors face criminal and professional license risk for providing medically necessary healthcare, or referring patients to states where they can receive it. Why expose yourself to this risk as a practitioner when there are other states to practice in?

> Now, doctors in Idaho who provide often necessary medical care for pregnant patients face being charged with a felony punishable by up to two to five years in prison, and having their medical license suspended for a minimum of sixth months for a first offense and permanently revoked upon a subsequent offense. The only exceptions the law provides are for rape, incest and to "prevent the death of the pregnant woman." There are no exceptions for the health of the pregnant patient.

> The exceptions for rape and incest are only allowed in the first trimester of pregnancy and require victims to report the incidents to the police and provide a copy of the report to the physician that would perform the abortion.

> The Legislature passed an exception to the abortion ban last year that clarified the prohibition does not apply to ectopic or molar pregnancies, the Statesman reported. But lawmakers blocked an effort to include exceptions for when a pregnant patient's health is at risk.

> Doctors also worry they could be prosecuted for referring patients to states where abortion is legal, like in Oregon and Washington.

That's why you don't have outright bans in countries with advanced medecine to be honest.

In France, while it's difficult for a woman to choose to abort after the 14th week (still possible, but it has to be presented to a panel of two doctors and a social worker who will talk to you before), if the doctor deems the birth too difficult (pregancies that will led to a stillborn and/or a damaged reproductive system, sometime both), they can choose to abort the pregnancy if the woman agrees (i think you have to get a second look by another obstetrician, but basically no extra work or risk of being prosecuted).