Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce abortion law in first abortion ruling since Dobbs

 By Samantha Kamman - Posted at The Christian Post:

Published January 8, 2023

Idaho's abortion law can go into effect while a legal battle continues, according to a recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that marks the first time that the court has weighed in on a state's criminal law on abortion since it overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The Supreme Court determined Friday that Idaho could enforce the Defense of Life Act, which outlaws most abortions except in specific circumstances. Under the law, a provider who conducts an abortion can face up to five years in prison and the suspension or revocation of his or her license.

Idaho enacted the law in 2020, and after the Supreme Court reversed Roe in 2022, restoring regulatory authority over abortion to the states, the law could go into effect.

The court agreed to hear arguments in April about the issue, putting on hold a lower court ruling based on an August 2022 lawsuit filed by the Biden administration that claimed the state's abortion ban interfered with a federal law requiring hospitals that receive Medicare funds to provide emergency care.

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