Key facts
- An appeals court paused a ruling that had found Idaho's abortion ban unconstitutional.
- The ruling was based on the argument that the US Constitution does not protect the right to a health-saving abortion.
- Idaho's near-total abortion ban prohibits abortions except when a doctor deems it necessary to protect the mother's health.
A US appeals court on Friday paused a judge's ruling that had found Idaho's near-total abortion ban unconstitutional, stating that a doctor suing over the ban was unlikely to succeed in claims that the US Constitution protects the right to a health-saving abortion. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision lifting a previous federal judge's order that had allowed abortions when deemed necessary to protect a mother's health. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador applauded the ruling, while the plaintiff's lawyer called it a temporary setback. The decision comes amid separate litigation over whether a federal law requires hospitals to provide abortions in emergencies.