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.
