Hospitals in the northwest state are currently permitted to perform emergency abortions when a patient’s health is seriously in danger.
This occurs nearly two years following the historic Roe v. Wade decision, which resulted in Idaho being one of 14 states that forbade abortion at all stages of pregnancy with extremely few exceptions.
A 6-3 majority upheld a previous court ruling that had permitted hospitals in the state to carry out emergency abortions in order to preserve a patient’s health. The US courts concluded that they had intervened in the case prematurely.
Given that the ruling was issued in an election year, the Idaho lawsuit will likely proceed to be heard in subordinate courts.
The question is still up for debate, as the judges who voted to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion may soon be debating whether or not doctors may perform abortions on patients in urgent care.
The ruling made today does not represent a win for Idaho’s pregnant patients, according to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. There is a lag.
Pregnant patients with urgent medical concerns continue to be in a dangerous situation while this court drags its feet and the nation waits, since their doctors are kept in the dark about what the law mandates.
