Idaho’s medical community has been saying for the past two years — since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — that Idaho’s strict abortion ban is jeopardizing medical care when the health of the mother is at risk.

Idaho’s abortion laws take into account only risks to the life of the mother.

The laws are the subject of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments Wednesday.

From the sounds of it, it’s not going all that well for Idaho’s lawyers.

Even Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the final piece in the far right’s fight to overturn Roe v. Wade, said Wednesday that she was shocked by Idaho lawyer Josh Turner’s arguments.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned Turner about a real-life example of a woman in another state with a condition called preterm premature rupture of membranes, in which a patient’s water breaks before her fetus is able to survive outside of the womb. The woman was forced to carry the fetus to term. The fetus died, and the woman had to have a hysterectomy. Sotomayor asked whether that would be covered under Idaho’s law.

“It is very case by case,” Turner responded.

“That’s the problem,” Sotomayor said.

“I’m kind of shocked, actually,” Barrett said. “Because I thought your own expert had said below that these kinds of cases were covered, and you’re now saying they’re not?”

After Turner tried to explain, Barrett interrupted him.

...continued

©2024 Idaho Statesman. Visit at idahostatesman.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.