CV NEWS FEED // The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump is dropping the Biden administration’s lawsuit against Idaho’s Defense of Life Act, a law designed to protect unborn children throughout pregnancy.
The Trump DOJ is “dismissing any further action” in the Idaho v. United States case, according to a March 5 news release from Idaho Attorney General Raúl R. Labrador.
The lawsuit argued the state’s pro-life law conflicted with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals to provide emergency care to all patients, including pregnant women and their unborn children.
“It has been our position from the beginning that there is no conflict between EMTALA and Idaho’s Defense of Life Act,” Labrador said. “The goal of each is to save lives in every circumstance, both the mother and their unborn child. We are grateful that meddlesome DOJ litigation on this issue will no longer be an obstacle to Idaho enforcing its laws.”
Idaho’s Defense of Life Act was upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2023, rejecting claims that it violated the state constitution. Despite this, the Biden DOJ continued its federal challenge, arguing the law conflicted with EMTALA.
The announcement comes just as U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a temporary restraining order March 4 blocking the attorney general from enforcing the pro-life law. Judge Winmill, appointed by President Bill Clinton, sided with abortion advocates who argued the law conflicts with federal emergency medical care requirements.
In a March 5 press release from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, pro-life leaders reiterated that the law does not conflict with federal emergency regulations.
Dr. Ingrid Skop, an OB-GYN and vice president of medical affairs at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, supported the Justice Department’s move, calling the previous administration’s legal arguments misleading.
“As a board-certified ob-gyn for over 30 years, the administration’s change in stance is welcome news for both of my patients — a pregnant woman and her unborn child — whose lives are both prioritized by EMTALA,” Skop said in the press release. “This coercive effort by the prior administration to subvert existing laws to promote abortion was never necessary, as EMTALA has never been confusing for me or my obstetric peers.”
The lawsuit had initially been based on claims that Idaho’s law forced hospitals to transfer patients out of state for emergency abortions. However, in previous court proceedings, plaintiffs failed to provide evidence that women had been denied emergency care or had been airlifted out of Idaho for abortions.
Katie Daniel, Director of Legal Affairs & Policy Counsel for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, welcomed the Justice Department’s decision and criticized the restraining order, saying it was another example of judicial interference in pro-life protections.
“Democrats’ abortion extremism cost them the election,” Daniel said in the press release. “With President Trump and a new administration in charge, Biden’s weaponization of the federal government is over – no more lawfare. The will of the people is clear and activist judges must not interfere.”
Daniel said that Idaho’s law safeguards unborn children while ensuring that pregnant women receive necessary medical care.
“Idaho’s law protects more than 1,500 babies a year, and like every pro-life law in the country, nothing in it stops pregnant women from receiving emergency medical care,” Daniel said. “This care is absolutely legal.”
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