SEATTLE — Washington State attorney general Bob Ferguson is leading 19 other states in a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s abortion travel ban.
The coalition aims at blocking the state’s restrictive law making it illegal for adults to help minors travel out-of-state for abortion care.
“The Constitution protects the individual right to travel between states, and Idaho’s radical Legislature cannot abolish that right,” Ferguson said. “We will continue to harbor and comfort all Idahoans who seek health care services that are denied to them in Idaho.”
Washington is currently the main destination for Idaho residents seeking out-of-state abortions and healthcare. Clinics reported a staggering 75% increase in Idaho patients between January 2022 and early 2023.
Pullman Washington is only eight miles from Idaho’s western border. The month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Idahoans suddenly made up 80% of Pullman’s planned parenthood patients. Other states bordering Idaho have seen similar increases in patients.
This is the third time Washington has intervened with Idaho’s new restrictive abortion laws.
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