(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor and attorney general are joining other Democrats in the legal battle over Idaho’s abortion law.
Attorney General Josh Kaul on Friday signed an amicus brief.
The Supreme Court in January ruled Idaho can move ahead with its near total ban on abortions, even in cases of medical emergencies.
Kaul and several other Democratic AGs instead want the court to require Idaho to follow the limits of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.
“Every person, no matter where they live, deserves the right to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from politicians who don’t know anything about their life, their family, or their circumstances,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “As we continue to see Republican attacks on reproductive freedom and safe, legal abortion here in Wisconsin and across our country, our fight to protect and defend reproductive freedom has never been more important.”
“This case illustrates the danger to women’s health and well-being that the overruling of Roe v. Wade has allowed,” Kaul added. “When a decision needs to be made in an emergency medical situation, that decision should be made by the patient, not dictated by the government.”
The Biden Administration argues that while states can set their own rules for abortion, thanks to the Dobbs decision, hospitals that accept federal Medicare dollars should be required to provide abortions as part of their emergency services.
Twenty-three other AGs have also signed-on to the filing, including the attorneys generals in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.
The court’s January decision allowed Idaho to continue with its abortion law, though the legal fight is not yet over. Court watchers expect a decision in the case by the summer.
