A federal court judge has officially ordered a preliminary injunction on Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador's abortion ban interpretation of the scope that it covers. In a request by Representative Brent Crane, Labrador had penned a letter indicating the scope of the ban, in his opinion, included making Idaho healthcare providers subject to criminal charges for referring patients to available out-of-state abortion care services.
Although Labrador had withdrawn his written opinion after it became public and a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood and other medical providers was filed against his declaration, many healthcare providers were still operating under the fear that they would face criminal charges if advising patients of out-of-state abortion services. With some even leaving the state due to adopted abortion restrictions.
Healthcare providers believe that banning such referrals impedes their ability to provide comprehensive counseling and assistance to patients. Placing an injunction on Labrador's legal opinion declaration and interpretation allows providers to continue to advise patients without fear of criminal charges.
The court agreed, stating that Labrador's interpretation of Idaho's ban on referrals for abortion care out-of-state infringes on healthcare providers' ability to provide proper care for patients, therefore violating their First Amendment rights.
