Supreme Court Upholds Idaho Law Jailing Doctors Who Provide Abortions | Truthout
By: Jake Johnson (Truthout)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday opted to reinstate Idaho's near-total abortion ban, a draconian law that carries up to five years in prison for doctors who perform the procedure outside of extremely narrow circumstances.
The high court, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the summer of 2022, agreed to hear a Justice Department challenge to Idaho's abortion ban in April. In the meantime, it will be a crime in Idaho to perform or attempt to perform an abortion unless the procedure is deemed "necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman" or if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.
"SCOTUS just allowed Idaho to throw health care providers in jail for providing emergency abortion care while they consider this case," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) wrote in response to the Supreme Court's order. "This is a chilling reminder that the anti-abortion movement doesn't care if women live or die — as long as they're forced to give birth."
The Justice Department argued in its lawsuit that Idaho's abortion ban conflicts with a federal law requiring Medicare-funded hospitals to provide certain stabilizing treatments, including abortion care.
"Beyond care necessary to prevent death, the law provides no defense whatsoever when the health of the pregnant patient is at stake," the department's legal challenge reads. "And, even in dire situations that might qualify for the Idaho law's limited 'necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman' affirmative defense, some providers could withhold care based on a well-founded fear of criminal prosecution."
The department warned that if Idaho's law is permitted to stay in effect, it will prevent healthcare professionals from performing abortions "even when a doctor determines that abortion is the medically necessary treatment to prevent severe risk to the patient's health and even in cases where denial of care will likely result in death for the pregnant patient."
Every day, the truth is clearer: Anti-abortion extremists never intended for abortion ban 'exceptions' to work, and they never cared about pregnant people or their families.https://t.co/PJj6AYADc9
— Reproductive Freedom for All (@reproforall) January 5, 2024
The Supreme Court's unsigned order came days after the conservative-dominated 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas can ban abortions even in emergency situations. In Texas and across the U.S., people have faced dangerous health complications after being denied abortion care due to Republican-authored laws in their states.
Many have been forced to travel out of state to obtain care. One Idaho woman "sought an abortion in [Oregon] after doctors told her she would likely miscarry and, if she continued the pregnancy, develop a life-threatening condition," The Idaho Statesman reported last month.
"Her trip to Oregon put so much financial strain on the family, they were unable to pay their mortgage for a month," the newspaper added.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Friday that the Supreme Court's order allowing Idaho's ban to take effect is "dangerous and exceptionally cruel."
"Now, doctors in the state cannot perform abortions even in medical emergencies," Warren added. "Yet again, women's lives are at the mercy of this extreme Court stacked by Donald Trump."
Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that vote up their own comments, repeat comments, or continue to disrupt the conversation risk having all of their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) to whom you are replying to preserve continuity of this seed. Any use of the phrase "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or the TDS acronym in a comment will be deleted. Any use of the terms "Brandon", "Traitor Joe" or any variations thereof, when referring to President Biden, will be deleted. Right wing trolls can expect to have their comments deleted.
Tags
Who is online
40 visitors
Another victory for theocracy. Another significant loss for women's health.
it's only temporary. history has proven time and again that thumpers back off when they start getting splattered. even their own deity has allegedly taken out his share of humanity. all it takes is one motivated innocent victim of the over reach of gov't regulated bodily autonomy by radical religious dogma in a secular america to tip the scales. thumpers are the largest block of votes supporting trump. they're the ideal reverse barometer for what's best for america. what sane american gives a fuck what thumpers want.
The far-right SCOTUS has become irrelevant.
They no longer represent the will of We the People.
They have become far right wing fascists.
They are now owned by billionaire ALEC folk.
America is no longer a democracy.
America is now a corporate entity.
Not SCOTUS JOB
republicans really like SCOTUS justices that have price tags...
Never was. It has always been a republic.
what kind of republic?
I'm starting to get the idea that America is trying its damnedest to become a banana republic.
Unfortunately, some elements of society seem to want that and are actively working to make that happen as shown by this case.
[Deleted]
[✘]
[Deleted]
thumpers couldn't have picked a better hill to die on than gender equality in bodily autonomy...
religious activism in america is the main contributor to it's rapidly diminishing numbers and that creates the increasingly violent rhetoric from it's radical fringe members.
Exactly, same thing that happened in Europe.
hopefully their social rejection in this hemisphere will be just as graphic...
Zealots is a kind word to use for their ignorant asses. My goodness the mother's life is threatened and a doctor cannot intervene.
So for the zealots, it is OK to save some people from harm but not a woman. WTH.
It shows their hypocrisy. They aren't "pro-life" if they are willing to sacrifice a woman's life to maybe...maybe get a fetus thru a pregnancy. Note I did not say healthy or living fetus
And post-partem the Gop throws them both under the bus.
the hippocratic oath outweighs any legislated religious nonsense...
It is now clear to me that the cruelty is the point.
Cruelty. Yes, that's the right word. It truly amazes me that there are powerful governing factions in what has been held out as the greatest most advanced nation in the world, "the home of the brave and land of the free", that are trying so hard to compete with the cruelty that the depraved barbaric Hamas committed on October 7th.
I have to agree with that.
thumpers just can't get past that whole garden of eden thing...
... when eve ruined it for everyone.
Used to be a paramedic way back in the day and it seemed like many of our regulations were built around idiosy rather than quality patient care.
[deleted]
LOL
yeah, what was I thinking, all those parts would've been defective...
The anti abortion fanatics are going to do every thing they can to make sure Biden wins the presidential election.
He can use their help.
Other than America's women who prefer to be "handmaidens", every woman in America intelligent enough to mark a ballot who doesn't vote against the misogynist "women-enslavers" deserves to suffer whatever fate karma will dictate for them.
[✘]
And what does China have to do with this discussion? I doubt that Buzz would argue your point. That being said, this is the US and I really don't care what happened in China in the past.
A simple comparison on similar policies between two nations.
Well, what do you think of the policy here in the US? I think it stinks and is regressive.
Your sincerely is, well, unconvincing. Maybe tell it to a tourist...
For decades I was called hyperbolic, even crazy, for suggesting the gop intended to reverse Roe vs Wade. We were told that this was impossible. We, abortion rights activists, were accused of wanting unrestricted abortions up to, and after, birth...
Nevermind that over 90% of terminations occur in the first trimester or that late term abortions are rare and highly regulated! Nevermind that making terminations illegal of hard to get does nothing to reduce demand for abortions!
Which side in the abortion debate is debating it honestly?
Never Again? Hell, we're on the precipice yet still in denial!
There isn’t a national policy here.
[✘]
I think that many states have passed bad, regressive legislation. [deleted]
Which is the problem for about half the women in the US.
I have to agree with that. I'm tired of the double-speak applied to people who advocate for a woman's right over her own body and within reasonable rules.
[✘]
[✘]
rwnj plague.