Planned Parenthood and two doctors have filed a federal lawsuit against Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador in an attempt to prevent state authorities from punishing doctors who refer women for abortions in other US states.

According to Labrador’s opinion, issued last week, as the state has had a near-total abortion ban since August, “all health care providers in Idaho are prohibited from (…) referring a woman to another state to access services abortion”.

In their lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boise, Planned Parenthood and the doctors say Labrador’s interpretation of the law violates the U.S. Constitution by barring free speech and attempting to extend Idaho’s law across borders. of the state.

“Attorney General Labrador is violating our Constitution to deny Idahoans the freedom to decide what is good for their bodies and their futures,” said Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Alexis McGill Johnson.

Abortion was banned in Idaho after the US Supreme Court in June overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which protected women’s right to abortion nationwide.

Idaho law provides no exceptions to the ban. However, it allows the health care provider who performed the procedure to overturn the charges if he can prove in court that the abortion was necessary to save the mother’s life or that the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest that has been reported to the authorities.

A sentence of two to five years in prison is foreseen for those doctors who are convicted of having performed an illegal abortion, as well as suspension of the license to practice the profession for those who provided assistance.

In addition, yesterday Wednesday, Idaho Governor Brad Liddle signed a new bill that prohibits the provision of assistance to a minor to go to another state to undergo an abortion, without the consent of his parents.