The court also declined to stop the Texas law, which allows any civilian to sue someone who “aids or abets” a woman in getting an abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy.
The Idaho law, which focuses on allowing family members to sue abortion providers, establishes a minimum award of $20,000 and legal fees. Lawsuits can be filed up to four years after an abortion.
Representative Steven Harris, a co-sponsor of the bill in the Idaho House, has previously said that the Texas law it was based on was very effective. “It stopped physical abortions, chemical abortions in their tracks,” said Mr. Harris, who could not immediately be reached for comment about Friday’s decision.
When Mr. Little signed the Idaho bill into law after the House overwhelmingly approved it, he expressed concerns about the wisdom and constitutionality of the measure and warned that it could retraumatize victims of sexual assault. Mr. Little, a moderate Republican, said the law could conflict with Roe.
“While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise,” Mr. Little wrote at the time in a message to Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is also president of the State Senate.