BOISE, Idaho — On the final day of testimony, the trial of Adkins v. Idaho reached a pivotal moment as both sides debated the mental health impacts of abortion, fetal pain, and the scope Idaho's abortion laws.
- The plaintiffs called witnesses for rebuttal, including experts who challenged the state’s claims about mental health and fatal fetal conditions.
- The state responded by renewing a motion to dismiss the case, but the judge denied it, stating it would be considered later after looking at all the facts.
- It will likely take months for the judge to issue his decision.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Idaho's abortion bans are once again front and center at the Ada County Courthouse — the trial of Adkins v. Idaho reached a critical point on the final day of testimony.
Both sides offered exchanges over abortion's impact on mental health, fetal pain, and the application of Idaho's abortion laws.
The plaintiffs began their rebuttal case, calling witnesses to challenge the state's claims.
Jennifer Payne, a researcher of reproductive psychiatry, addressed the mental health implications of abortion:"Women who have mental health issues are more likely to seek abortion care. But the effects of being denied an abortion may be more detrimental to women's psychological well-being than allowing them to obtain their wanted procedure," said Payne.
The plaintiffs also recalled Dr. Katharine Wenstrom, who disputed the state's claims that fetuses feel pain and that no conditions are definitively fatal for a fetus.
The state fired back during surrebuttal, recalling Dr. Ingrid Skop to argue that fetal pain is a matter of severity, not occurrence.
The day ended with the state renewing its motion to dismiss the plaintiffs' arguments."Your Honor, I would like to renew our motion to dismiss under Rule 41 for all the reasons outlined in our written brief," said the state's lawyer.
That request? Denied. The judge stated that the motion will be considered, among others, in post-trial motions.
I caught up with plaintiff attorney Gail Deady outside the courthouse, who expressed confidence in their case, emphasizing the harm caused by Idaho's abortion bans."What I can say is that plaintiffs have spent four and a half days demonstrating that the women and the doctors in this case are not hypothetical. They are real people, and they are brave people who came up and they testified under oath," said Deady.
