LDS Church gives $1 million to oppose Idaho Proposition 1

Church enters ballot-measure campaign

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave to Too Extreme for Idaho, the political action committee campaigning against Proposition 1. The donation is the largest single contribution received by the committee.

The contribution came less than a month after the church announced its opposition to the measure, which would expand abortion access in Idaho. The church said it remains neutral toward candidates but participates in ballot-measure campaigns that it believes involve significant moral consequences.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise is another major contributor to the opposition committee, giving slightly more than during the election cycle. By Monday, Too Extreme for Idaho had raised about and had remaining.

Campaign money and Idaho law

Idahoans United for Women and Families, the committee supporting Proposition 1, had raised nearly and had remaining by Monday. Its major contributors include former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Government That Works.

The church’s involvement drew different responses from Latter-day Saints in Idaho. Democratic state Sen. Soñia Galaviz said medical professionals she knows are concerned that changing Idaho’s law to address a patient’s health could become more difficult. Church member Maddy Packer supported the donation, viewing abortion as a moral issue on which the church may participate publicly. Idaho church member Kristine Anderson supports Proposition 1.

Idaho law allows an abortion when it is necessary to save a patient’s life. Church policy permits exceptions when the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, creating a distinction between current state law and the church’s stated policy.