Idaho judge narrows scope of lawsuit against protections for unborn babies

Idaho 4th District Judge Jason Scott on Friday allowed a limited challenge to the law based on the state constitution as applied to specific pregnancy-related cases—potential exceptions to the law. He did agree with the state that its law protecting the unborn doesn’t violate the Idaho Constitution. Attorney General Raúl Labrador said the judge also found the plaintiffs in Adkins v. State of Idaho are entitled to have their rights declared under the statutes through a declaratory judgment. But “the declaration Plaintiffs ultimately receive may not be the one they want,” Scott ruled.

Who is behind the lawsuit? The New York-based advocacy group Center for Reproductive Rights filed the case in September on behalf of four women and several physicians who claimed the state denied abortions to each of the women. All four traveled to Oregon or Washington state to go through with the abortions. The advocacy group filed similar lawsuits or complaints in Tennessee and Oklahoma in September, according to its website.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Savas’ report in Vitals on an upcoming Supreme Court abortion drug case.