Idaho Supreme Court upholds all abortion laws challenged in Planned Parenthood cases

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Supreme Court has voted to uphold multiple sections of Idaho code restricting abortion access, according to an opinion published Thursday.

The court rejected Planned Parenthood’s petitions to block three laws. The first petition challenged an Idaho law that would let certain family members of a fetus sue health care professionals who perform abortions. The second challenged a state law that bans nearly all abortions. The third would make it a felony for medical professionals to perform an abortion after electrical activity is detected — a so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill by those who oppose abortion rights.

In a summary, justices denied Planned Parenthood’s claim that abortion is a right explicitly enshrined in the Idaho Constitution.

“To the contrary, the relevant history and traditions of Idaho show abortion was viewed as an immoral act and treated as a crime,” the summary read.