Idaho sued over law making it a crime to help minors get abortions without parental consent
Two advocacy groups and an attorney who works with sexual assault victims are suing Idaho over a new law that makes it a felony to help minors get an abortion without their parents’ consent
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two advocacy groups and an attorney who works with sexual assault victims are suing Idaho over a new law that makes it illegal to help minors get an abortion without their parents’ consent.
Abortion is already banned in Idaho at all stages of pregnancy. But the law enacted in May -- dubbed a “travel ban” by the advocacy groups and an “abortion trafficking ban” by the lawmakers who passed it -- seeks to prevent minors who don’t have parental approval from getting abortions in states where the procedure is legal. Violating the law is a felony, punishable by at least two and up to five years in prison.
The Legal Voice activist group filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday on behalf of Nampa attorney Lourdes Matsumoto, the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, and the Indigenous Idaho Alliance. All of the plaintiffs work with and sometimes assist minors who are seeking abortions, and they want to continue that work without the threat of prosecution.
They contend the law is overly vague and violates both their First Amendment right to discuss abortion with minors and their Fourth Amendment right to travel freely between states.
