By Perry Stein and Devlin Barrett
The Justice Department (click here) has filed its first lawsuit in the wake of a historic Supreme Court decision allowing states to outlaw abortion, arguing that a near-total ban on the procedure slated to take effect soon in Idaho would violate a federal requirement to provide medical care when a pregnant person’s life or health is at stake.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the lawsuit filed Tuesday is aimed at stopping Idaho’s “trigger” ban, which is set to take effect Aug. 25.
The Idaho law allows doctors to be criminally prosecuted for providing abortions, Garland said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. He argued it could conflict with federal law that says patients seeking emergency medical treatment at a hospital accepting Medicare funds are entitled to any life-saving treatment.
“We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that every pregnant woman gets the emergency medical treatment of which they are entitled to under federal law,” Garland said....
