University of Idaho warned employees not to promote or provide abortion to students amid state's near-total abortion ban

• The University of Idaho advised employees not to counsel or advise students on abortion.
• A 2021 state law prevents publically funded institutions, like public universities, from promoting abortion.

The University of Idaho issued an emailed warning to employees not to promote or provide abortion to students amid the state's near-total ban on the procedure.

"During all times that university employees are performing their jobs, the law prohibits them from" promoting, providing, or counseling in favor of abortion, or contracting with abortion providers, the university's general counsel warned in a lengthy email, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

The 2021 state law specifically targets institutions that receive state funding, like public universities, and violators may face misdemeanor or felony charges in addition to being fired and barred from state employment, the outlet reported.

"This is a challenging law for many and has real ramifications for individuals in that it calls for individual criminal prosecution," university spokesperson Jodi Walker said, per the Capital Sun.

Walker said the university supports its students, staff, and their "academic freedom" but must "work within the laws set out by our state," according to the Capital Sun.

"Employees engaging in their course of work in a manner that favors abortion could be deemed as promoting abortion. While abortion can be discussed as a policy issue in the classroom, we highly recommend employees in charge of the classroom remain neutral or risk violating this law," Walker said, per the Capital Sun.

The state's trigger ban on abortions, which went into effect in August, outlaws the procedure after conception, except in cases in which a pregnant person's life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest (that were reported to police), according to The Washington Post.

The university's memo, which noted that the "language of this statute is not a model of clarity," stated that university employees cannot give birth control to students.

"Since violation is considered a felony, we are advising a conservative approach here, that the university not provide standard birth control itself," the memo said, per the Capital Sun.