Idaho can enforce a first-of-its-kind “abortion trafficking” law against those who harbor or transport a minor to get an abortion out-of-state without parental consent, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday.
But the San Francisco-based 9th US circuit court of appeals in its ruling blocked a part of the law that prohibits “recruiting” a minor to get an abortion.
Idaho, which bans abortion in nearly all cases, passed the abortion trafficking law in 2023. It made “recruiting, harboring, or transporting” a minor with the intention of helping her get an abortion and conceal it from her parents or guardians a crime punishable by two to five years in prison.
Lourdes Matsumoto, a lawyer and advocate who works with victims of sexual violence, and two groups that support abortion rights sued the state to challenge the law soon after it was passed.