LDS Church makes $1 million donation to anti-Prop 1 PAC ahead of Idaho’s general election

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated $1 million to an Idaho political action committee, or PAC, opposing the abortion rights initiative on the ballot this November. 

The donation went to the Too Extreme for Idaho Political Action Committee, which opposes the initiative.

“While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains neutral toward political candidates, it actively addresses ballot initiatives it believes carry significant moral consequences,” the church said in a statement. “Accordingly, the Church has joined a coalition of like-minded organizations and individuals in Idaho to dedicate resources toward defeating Proposition 1.”

Supporters and opponents of Idaho’s abortion rights initiative, Prop 1, have raised millions

If passed, the voter initiative would repeal Idaho’s abortion laws, enumerate rights related to reproductive health, and create liability protections for healthcare providers who provide abortion and other reproductive healthcare. 

The Idaho Falls radio station NewsTalk 107.9 first reported the donation on Thursday. The Idaho Capital Sun confirmed the donation with a spokesperson for the church on Friday. 

The large donation comes after Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador published an opinion in August that says churches are allowed to donate money to political campaigns — including for and against Proposition 1 — without disclosing their donors, as long as they don’t ask members to donate specifically for the campaign, Boise State Public Radio reported. 

Leaders from the church, widely known as the Mormon church, issued a letter against Prop 1 in September, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The letter was read to congregations last month, the church’s assistant communications director Brian Whitlock said in an email. 

“Our long-held stance on abortion remains clear and unchanged,” the four-member U.S. Central Area Presidency of the LDS Church wrote in the letter.

The church, which opposes elective abortions, posted its stance on abortion online. It allows for possible exemptions in cases of rape and incest, if a “competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy,” or a “competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.”

“Even these exceptions do not automatically justify abortion,” the statement said. “Abortion is a most serious matter. It should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer.” 

Idaho’s abortion ban allows the procedure to prevent the death of the mother and in cases of rape and incest in the first trimester with a police report. Doctors who provide abortions outside of those exemptions face felony penalties, including minimum prison time, and potential civil lawsuits brought by family members of the aborted fetus. 

Other churches, faith-based groups have contributed to campaigns for and against Prop 1 

The LDS Church isn’t the first or only faith-based organization to contribute to the campaigns related to the ballot measure, but it is the largest reported donation from a church-affiliated group. 

Groups attached to Catholic organizations have contributed $7,161 to the Too Extreme for Idaho PAC, campaign finance reporting shows. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise contributed $2,000, and Catholic fraternal groups, called Knights of Columbus Councils, contributed the rest, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.  

The Catholic Diocese of Boise could not be reached for comment for this story after multiple emails and phone calls. The diocese has publicly opposed the initiative. 

Bishop Peter Christensen in late July posted a statement in opposition to the ballot measure and encouraged other members of the church to voice their opposition. 

“I strongly encourage you to vote NO this November. Our response must not be rooted in anger or fear, but in steadfast faith, charity, and an unwavering commitment to the truth about human life,” Christensen wrote. 

He said the diocese will be encouraging parishes to offer “pro-life themed Masses” and pastors to communicate “awareness raising information in bulletins and parish communications provided by the Diocese.” 

The Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship contributed $5,000 in September to the PAC created by the initiative’s authors and supporters, Idahoans United for Women and Families. The Boise fellowship’s leaders could not be reached for comment after multiple emails and a phone call. 

The Boise Unitarian fellowship is part of a group of progressive churches and faith-based groups in Idaho called Interfaith Justice Idaho — which supports Prop 1. 

“We recognize that both the LDS Church and the Roman Catholic Church have taken public positions and had statements read in many of their pulpits opposing this, Proposition 1,” said the Rev. Josh Lee, a spokesperson for Interfaith Justice Idaho and senior pastor at Boise First United Church of Christ. 

“And so we felt the need to speak up as progressive faith leaders here in Idaho to say not all people of faith think that Prop 1 is bad, and that we should vote no and that you can’t be a person of faith and support women’s choice.” 

He said many of the group’s members made their churches available for signature-gathering for the voter initiative and different leaders have started releasing videos on Facebook sharing why they support the measure. 

The Boise synagogue Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel had a reported donation to the Idahoans United PAC. However, that donation was made in error by a former employee and has since been refunded, according to Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel President Betsy Russell. 

Campaign donations go against the congregation’s policy, Russell said, but many of the members do support Proposition 1. 

“Regardless of what Raúl Labrador says, we don’t believe it’s right for a tax-exempt religious organization to funnel dark money into political campaigns; we don’t do that and won’t do that,” Russell said in a statement. “That said, this proposition is one of huge interest to our members, in part because Idaho’s current abortion ban directly conflicts with Jewish law.”

“Judaism does not hold that life begins at conception. Instead, Jewish law requires prioritizing the life and health of the mother over that of the fetus, though the potential life of the fetus is increasingly valued in the later stages of pregnancy,” she continued. “Idaho’s current ban has no health exception for the mother.”

She said that individual members have differing views, but the Union for Reform Judaism, with which the Boise synagogue is affiliated, “holds that reproductive rights are a Jewish value.”