Idaho health care providers can refer patients for abortions out of state, judge rules

Key Facts

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador wrote a letter to a lawmaker in March in which he opined that referring a patient to legal abortion services in other states would constitute assisting in an abortion or attempted abortion.
| Kyle Green/AP Photo A federal judge has ruled that it would violate Idaho medical providers’ free speech rights to sanction them for referring patients to out-of-state abortion services, rejecting the state attorney general’s interpretation of Idaho’s abortion ban.
Republican Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador wrote a letter to a conservative lawmaker in March in which he opined that referring a patient to legal abortion services in other states would constitute assisting in an abortion or attempted abortion — and thus would require the suspension of the health professional’s license.
Stanton Healthcare, an anti-abortion pregnancy center in Boise, said in a statement it was “deeply troubled” by Winmill’s order and that it would “only serve to promote ‘abortion trafficking.’” “This decision flies in the face of the Idaho legislature which built a wall of protection around women and their preborn children through life-affirming legislation which promotes well-being and hope,” the statement said.