Supreme Court Seems Sympathetic to Idaho’s Claim Its Strict Abortion Ban Is Valid

Most Supreme Court justices seemed inclined to accept Idaho’s argument on April 24 that the state’s strict abortion law does not conflict with a federal law that prevents hospitals from refusing to treat indigent emergency room patients. At the same time, liberal justices vigorously questioned whether the Idaho law is putting women in danger. The court heard oral arguments in Moyle v. United States, which has been consolidated with Idaho v. United States. Lead applicant-petitioner Mike Moyle is the Republican speaker of Idaho’s House of Representatives. The conservative Alliance Defending Freedom is on Idaho’s legal team. The case is about whether a state law that restricts abortion conflicts with a federal law that forbids “patient dumping,” the practice of hospitals refusing emergency treatment to people who can’t afford to pay for medical services....