Idaho’s effort to impose a blanket ban on abortions received a setback on Wednesday after a federal judge ruled that the state must allow abortions in certain emergency cases.
What Happened: U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, a Bill Clinton appointee, imposed a preliminary injunction that prevents the Gem State from enforcing a ban on abortions where doctors and hospitals judge an abortion necessary to avoid endangering a patient’s health, reported the Wall Street Journal.
Winmill said the state’s law was in conflict with federal law, which mandates hospitals to provide certain basic levels of emergency care.
The judge said medicine's goal should be to identify problems and treat them before patients develop “a life-threatening emergency.”
“The Idaho law requires doctors to do the opposite—to wait until abortion is necessary to prevent the patient’s death,” said Lynn.
Why It Matters: The Idaho ruling is diametrically opposite of a recent decision by a judge in Texas where doctors aren’t required to abide by President Joe Biden’s administration’s guidance on emergency abortion care, noted the Journal.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973-era Roe V. Wade decision and said the Constitution makes no “express reference to a right to obtain an abortion.”
In the aftermath, nearly two dozen states triggered laws that were enacted to limit or prohibit abortion access.
Read Next: Democrats Pick A Former Republican To Take On DeSantis For Florida Governor
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
