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Court documents show Trump’s Justice Department to dismiss emergency abortion lawsuit against Idaho

Richard Rodriguez
/
Boise State Public Radio

According to court documents filed Monday, the Trump administration is getting ready to dismiss a federal lawsuit against the state of Idaho and its strict abortion ban.

In 2022, the federal Department of Justice sued the state, saying the restriction on abortions conflicted with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA. The federal mandate requires hospitals receiving federal funds provide “stabilizing care,” which can include terminating a pregnancy to preserve the health of the mother in an emergency.

Since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, physicians in Idaho can only provide abortions in narrows cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.

The lawsuit was originally filed by the Biden administration.

In January, St. Luke’s, the state’s largest healthcare system, sued Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador in anticipation of the Trump administration dropping the case. At the time, St. Luke’s asked for an expedited hearing for a preliminary injunction to block the abortion ban from applying to emergency physicians.

The request was denied, as the ban was already under an injunction from the original EMTALA lawsuit.

On Monday, St. Luke's filed court documents citing an email its counsel received from the Justice Department outlining its plan to drop the lawsuit. The suit could be dropped as early as Wednesday.

A hearing to discuss the preliminary injunction in the St. Luke's suit against Labrador is scheduled for Wednesday.

I joined Boise State Public Radio in 2022 as the Canyon County reporter through Report for America, to report on the growing Latino community in Idaho. I am very invested in listening to people’s different perspectives and I am very grateful to those who are willing to share their stories with me. It’s a privilege and I do not take it for granted.

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