Federal appeals court lifts Idaho ruling permitting abortions for women's health

A federal appeals court paused an Idaho order that would have required the state to allow abortion exceptions when a doctor judged it necessary to protect a patient’s health. In a 2-1 ruling issued Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a doctor who challenged Idaho’s near-total ban, Stacey Seyb, was unlikely to prevail on the argument that a health-saving abortion right is constitutional. The court pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and held there is no constitutional right to abortion. The decision affects a Winmill ruling from August. A dissent warned some patients could face serious permanent harm.