Summary
A US appeals court has partially revived Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law, allowing the state to prosecute those who transport minors across state lines for abortions without parental consent.
However, the court blocked the provision criminalizing “recruiting” minors, citing First Amendment protections for speech, including counseling and advocacy.
Idaho’s near-total abortion ban allows limited exceptions, and the law’s opponents argue it suppresses essential support for minors.
Both sides claimed partial victory, as Idaho continues to push restrictive abortion policies while neighboring states maintain more permissive laws.
Do they believe it? No. Did they mean to use this absurd law as a way to criminalize talking to a minor about abortion? Yes.
Most Republicans don’t really believe half of what they say. It’s all just tools they try to use to accumulate power in general and, in this case, to control women and their reproductive organs.