Trump administration is set to drop lawsuit pushing Idaho to allow emergency abortions, filing shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is expected to drop a federal lawsuit pushing for emergency abortions in Idaho, which has a strict ban on the procedure, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

The Justice Department outlined its plans to move for dismissal of the lawsuit originally filed by the Biden administration, according to the court papers filed by St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest hospital network.

Dropping the case would represent a dramatic reversal from the previous administration, in a state with one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws.

St. Luke’s is seeking a court order allowing doctors to continue providing abortions in emergency situations as they deem necessary. The hospital has previously said Idaho’s abortion ban required pregnant women to be flown out of state for emergency care.

A Justice Department spokesperson and Idaho officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit began after the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to abortion in 2022.

In his first term, Republican President Donald Trump appointed Supreme Court justices who voted to end the right and has said the issue should be left to the states.

The Biden administration sued Idaho. Officials argued that federal health care law required doctors to perform abortions in emergency situations presenting serious risks to a patient’s health or life, even if they could run afoul of the state’s abortion ban.

Idaho has pushed back, saying that its state law does allow for abortions in life-threatening situations.

The Supreme Court stepped into the Idaho case last year and ultimately handed down a narrow ruling that allowed hospitals to continue performing abortions in emergencies.

The high court did not, however, resolve key legal questions in the case, and it went before the 9th circuit court of appeals in December. The appeals court has not yet ruled.

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report. Boone reported from Boise.