Dr. Jim Souza

Chief Physician Executive
St. Luke’s Health System

As the chief doctor at Idaho’s biggest healthcare system, Jim Souza deals with both the everyday bedside realities and the overarching statewide resources of making healthy motherhood happen here.

“Just in our healthcare system alone, every week we manage 25 to 35 women who are having early pregnancy complications.”

Since the shift in Idaho’s abortion law, these normal complications are turning into life-altering and even life-ending emergencies — interfering with the safety and freedom of expectant parents and their doctors.

“When the law gets in the way of a physician acting earlier in a disease process, the likelihood of a bad outcome or even death goes up.”

Dr. Souza now sees a constant running thread of fear in both patients and physicians. Family doctors and maternal-fetal medicine specialists are leaving the state. Recruiting new obstetricians to Idaho is nearly impossible.

“The immediate effect of the collapse of the system of care, where we have expanding obstetrical care deserts, is on the safety of women who are pregnant. And who will have more complications, delays in care, less prenatal care. And we’ll have an increase in maternal mortality.”