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U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora Grasham in Boise, Idaho, said the
law against so-called abortion trafficking, signed by Republican
Governor Brad Little in April, violated the rights to free
speech and expression under the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution.
The judge also said the law "fails to provide fair notice or
ascertainable standard of what is and what is not abortion
trafficking."
Her order is a preliminary injunction, meaning it will remain in
place while she considers a legal challenge by a lawyer and
advocate and two organizations suing to challenge the law.
A spokesperson for Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, and a
lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
Idaho already bans almost all abortions, but the state borders
Washington, Oregon and Montana, which allow them. Like other
conservative jurisdictions, Idaho has sought to limit residents
from traveling elsewhere for abortions.
Under its law, adults who help girls obtain surgical or
medication abortions without parental consent would face a
minimum of two years in prison if convicted.
Lourdes Matsumoto, a lawyer and advocate who works with victims
of sexual violence, and the Northwest Abortion Access Fund and
Indigenous Idaho Alliance, which help people in Idaho access
abortion, sued to block the law.
They said it would prevent them from sharing information about
where abortion is legal, violating the First Amendment, and that
it interfered with their constitutional right to interstate
travel.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Daniel
Wallis)
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