The Idaho State Supreme Court momentarily stopped a bill prohibiting abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy, pending additional evaluation. State Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan issued a temporary stay of Idaho Senate Bill 1309 in the middle of a legal obstacle from Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, and Kentucky. The law was passed and signed by Idaho Governor Brad Little in March, and was anticipated to enter into result on April 22.
Planned Parenthood submitted a fit challenging the law recently, and requested for the fit to be tried out an accelerated basis thinking about that the law would have worked in a matter of weeks, according to the Idaho Statesman. Attorneys for the state of Idaho submitted a motion to offer them more time to prepare their legal short. Justice Bevan approved the movement, which offered the state up until April 28 to submit its legal short in answer to Planned Parenthood’s obstacle. Planned Parenthood will then have 14 days to submit a reply. In order to properly inform the case, both celebrations asked the court to keep the status quo ante– Idaho’s present abortion laws. The judge gave the demand, and for that reason stayed the law while the case is pending.
“Patients across Idaho can breathe a sigh of relief tonight,” Rebecca Gibron, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, said in a statement after the decision. “We are thrilled that abortion will remain accessible in the state for now, but our fight to ensure that Idahoans can fully access their constitutionally protected rights is far from over. Anti-abortion lawmakers have made clear that they will stop at nothing to control our lives, our bodies, and our futures. Planned Parenthood will continue fighting for every person’s ability to access basic health care, no matter their race, zip code, or economic status. We look forward to our day in court.”
Reportedly Gov. Little’s office refused comment. “The Governor’s Office does not comment on pending legislation,” spokesperson Marissa Morrison told the Idaho Statesman via email.
The Idaho State legislature passed SB 1309, known as the “Fetal Heartbeat, Preborn Child Protection Act,” overwhelmingly in March. The bill passed the state Senate 28-6, and subsequently passed the state House of Representatives 51-14. The law was inspired by Texas’ abortion law, which was signed into law in May of in 2015. The law permits civilians to take legal action against abortion service providers for breaking the law, instead of the state implementing it. A comparable bill was introduced in Tennessee.
Idaho Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law in late March, but expressed concern with it. “I stand in solidarity with all Idahoans who seek to protect the lives of preborn babies. That is why I signed into law last year the Fetal Heartbeat Preborn Child Protection Act, the very act this legislation now seeks to amend,” Little wrote in a letter to Lieutenant Governor and state Senate president Janice McGeachin.
“While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise. Deputizing private citizens to levy hefty monetary fines on the exercise of a disfavored but judicially recognized constitutional right for the purpose of evading court review undermines our constitutional form of government and weakens our collective liberties,” Little wrote.
H/T The Daily Wire