White House moves to drop Biden-era lawsuit against Idaho pro-life law

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Trump administration moves to drop Biden-era lawsuit against Idaho pro-life law 

The Trump administration this week moved to drop a Biden-era federal lawsuit against Idaho’s broad abortion ban.

The Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the Biden-era lawsuit, according to court papers filed by St. Luke’s Health System, which has also sued the state over the law. 

Idaho state law largely outlaws abortion but allows for it in life-threatening situations as well as in cases of rape or incest. The Biden administration had argued that the strict ban violates the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

The Supreme Court last year blocked the law but did not fully resolve the issue, which went before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in December. The appeals court has not ruled yet. 

A district court this week, meanwhile, ruled that a temporary block of the pro-life law would continue after the federal government dropped its suit. 

Wyoming legislators pass ultrasound requirement for chemical abortions 

Legislators in Wyoming voted to require abortion providers to offer ultrasounds in the event of chemical abortions, passing the law even after state Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed it.

Both the Wyoming House and Senate voted in a landslide in favor of the bill following Gordon’s Monday veto, meeting the two-thirds threshold to override the governor’s rejection of the law.

The ultrasound law is designed to give pregnant women “the opportunity to view the active ultrasound of the unborn baby and view the fetal heart motion or hear the heartbeat of the unborn baby if the heartbeat is audible.” 

Effective immediately, the new law requires patients to receive an ultrasound at least 48 hours before having a chemical abortion. 

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