Chrissy Teigen Joins Idaho Women Urging Approval of Proposition 1 Ahead of Election
Former model and business owner Chrissy Teigen traveled to Boise on Wednesday to make a final public push for Proposition 1, a November 3 ballot measure that would restore abortion access in Idaho, as reported by eastidahonews.com.
Idaho currently maintains a near-total abortion ban applying to all stages of pregnancy. The law carries narrow exceptions only for rape and incest during the first trimester, alongside provisions intended to save a pregnant patient’s life. If approved by voters, Proposition 1 would reinstate access to abortion up to fetal viability—mirroring the state’s legal standard prior to the 2022 Supreme Court ruling—while protecting access to birth control and fertility assistance treatments such as in vitro fertilization.
Opponents of the initiative have criticized the measure as overly permissive, arguing that allowing elective procedures up to viability goes too far. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has also announced its official opposition to the initiative.
Private Conversations and Public Stories in Downtown Boise
Prior to a rally in downtown Boise organized alongside volunteers and supporters, Teigen met privately at a local coffee shop with 12 Idaho women. These women have spent the campaign sharing their personal experiences of needing abortion care within a state governed by strict restrictions. The gathering was coordinated by the nonprofit organization Idahoans United for Women and Families, with space and coffee donated by Neckar Coffee.
The participants sat in a circle to recount complicated medical emergencies. Their accounts detailed miscarriages that progressed into septic infections due to hesitant medical providers, emergency out-of-state travel required to manage fatal fetal anomalies, and the enduring grief of pregnancy loss.
Kate Campbell shared the story of her son, Remy, and an infected placenta that caused her water to break at 20 weeks. Because a fetus generally cannot survive outside the womb before 22 weeks, and delayed treatment drastically elevates the risk of life-threatening infections, organ damage, and permanent fertility loss, Campbell’s doctors airlifted her to Utah. Idaho’s legal framework permits medical intervention solely to prevent the death of the patient, whereas Utah law includes broader provisions allowing care to preserve a patient’s health.
The only ‘cure,’ if you will, for an infected placenta is giving birth. — Kate Campbell
Desi Ballis described a similar crisis involving a viral infection early in her pregnancy that resulted in a fatal anomaly and severe health risks. Alongside her husband, Morgan, she drove five hours to Utah after calling multiple hospitals to find a facility capable of providing care.
Additional participants included Rebecca Crozier, who received a fatal fetal diagnosis of anencephaly at 11 weeks, and Abby Nichols, who traveled to Seattle for an abortion after a diagnosis of Trisomy 18, a severe chromosomal abnormality.
Confronting Shared Grief and Public Scrutiny
Listening to these accounts prompted Teigen to reflect publicly on her own loss in 2020. At 20 weeks of pregnancy, she experienced a placental abruption—a dangerous complication where the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, causing heavy bleeding and cutting off oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.
“I think I’m so emotional because hearing all of your stories makes you face what actually happened, right?” Teigen said, as reported by eastidahonews.com. “And I had it so easy compared to you guys, I didn’t even have to think about that extra added layer of having to go somewhere or feeling shame for it.”
After receiving multiple blood transfusions, Teigen’s medical team informed her that she was losing too much blood and needed to induce delivery. At 20 weeks’ gestation, an induced labor of this nature medically constitutes an abortion. When Teigen initially shared photos from her hospital bed alongside her husband, singer John Legend, to mourn the loss of the baby they called Jack, she faced intense public backlash from critics accusing her of seeking attention. Two years later, the criticism shifted when she clarified that the procedure was medically an abortion.
“When I said, ‘Hey guys, I didn’t miscarry, I had an abortion,’ and then it was almost like, ‘Oh, we felt bad for you before, now we don’t feel bad for you,’” Teigen said.
Following her advocacy work in Arizona during that state’s 2024 abortion ballot initiative, Teigen noted that sitting with the Idaho women brought her experience into sharp emotional focus. Regardless of whether Proposition 1 passes or fails on November 3, she emphasized that these personal narratives extend far beyond the immediate political fight.
“Going through something like this is so isolating,” Teigen said. “It’s so important to talk about this, and to release it, and to not hold it in like I’ve been doing.”
