Oregon Planned Parenthood seeing soaring trends following November election and partially upheld Idaho law

(Update: Adding video, comments from pro-choice and pro-life officials)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Last week, Idaho's abortion trafficking law was partially upheld by a federal appeals court, allowing the state to punish those who harbor or transport a minor to get an abortion out of state without parental consent.

The law was initially passed in 2023, but the state was sued shortly after by pro-choice advocates and lawyers, stating the law violated the Constitution. The original law made “recruiting, harboring, or transporting” a minor to get an abortion and conceal it from her parents or guardians a crime punishable by two to five years in prison, no matter if the procedure occurred in a state where abortion is protected.

In the state of Idaho, abortions are illegal unless the pregnancy is caused by rape or incest or is causing life-threatening health risks to the mother.

Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson says this law is the first step in reducing abortion traffic from other states into Oregon.

 "It's a fact that coercion does take place in abortion decisions," she said. "And I think that underage girls are particularly vulnerable."

Speaking of the recently opened Ontario Planned Parenthood clinic, Anderson said, "Malheur County in 2023 it (abortions) increased. About 381 of the 427 abortions that were reported out of Malheur County were from out of state. So it has an impact. It is a reality,"

Planned Parenthood in Bend was the only clinic east of the Cascades until last spring, making it the only available option for those in Idaho. Last year, the clinic saw a 1,000% increase in patients coming from Idaho seeking abortion-related care.

But Planned Parenthood says while the new trafficking law will have little effect on the clinic, they are seeing a new trend in the wake of the November election.

Health center Manager Joanna Dennis-Cook said, "We've seen a 55% increase across all of our clinics and our affiliates of people requesting long-acting reversible contraception, such as IUDs or implants."

Dennis-Cook says patients have shared uneasiness following the 2024 election and are looking for more long-term protection.

"What they're doing is being proactive about, 'I want to make sure I can control my fertility in the way I feel is right for myself for the next four-plus years.'" she said.