Idaho AG Agrees Not to Prosecute Doctors for Abortion Referrals
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador signed an agreement Thursday that prevents him from prosecuting doctors who refer patients to out-of-state abortion clinics, ending a two-year legal battle that began when Planned Parenthood sued over fears of criminal prosecution.
Federal Judge B. Lynn Winmill approved the consent decree that protects Planned Parenthood Great Northwest and two Idaho physicians from prosecution for "referring a woman across state lines to an abortion provider," as reported by Kyle Pfannenstiel in the Idaho Capital Sun on July 17, 2025. The agreement also requires Idaho taxpayers to cover $400,000 in legal fees for the plaintiffs.
The Lawsuit's Origins
The legal dispute started in April 2023 after Labrador issued an opinion stating that doctors who refer patients for out-of-state abortions could face criminal penalties under Idaho's abortion ban. Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, had requested the opinion on behalf of anti-abortion clinic Stanton Healthcare. Labrador later rescinded his opinion, but Planned Parenthood continued the lawsuit.
"This settlement simply affirms what our office already made clear in court: We do not have the authority to prosecute referrals for out-of-state services," Labrador wrote in a statement.
A Disappointing Development
This ruling represents a sad setback for protecting unborn life in Idaho. While doctors cannot perform abortions in our state, they can now freely guide mothers to kill their babies in neighboring states like Washington, Oregon, and Montana without fear of prosecution.
As we reported in our previous coverage of rising abortion costs, Idaho's strong pro-life laws have created meaningful barriers - travel time jumped from 2.8 hours to 11.3 hours, and costs nearly doubled from $179 to $372. Yet this agreement undermines those protections by ensuring doctors face no consequences for helping mothers circumvent Idaho law.
We must pray that other states will also make abortion illegal and that Idaho lawmakers will find new ways within legal bounds to make it harder for mothers to end their pregnancies. Every unborn child deserves protection, regardless of state lines.