Biden blasts Supreme Court decision allowing Idaho to enforce ‘dangerous’ abortion ban

President Biden on Friday railed against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Idaho to enact certain provisions in its near-total abortion ban, arguing it is a catalyst for Republican officials to “continue to jeopardize women’s health.”

“Today’s Supreme Court order allows Idaho’s extreme abortion ban to go back into effect and denies women critical emergency abortion care required by federal law,” Biden said in a statement shared by the White House.

“The overturning of Roe v. Wade has enabled Republican elected officials to pursue dangerous abortion bans like this one that continue to jeopardize women’s health, force them to travel out of state for care, and make it harder for doctors to provide care, including in an emergency,” he added.

His comments come after the high court, in an unsigned order on Friday, granted a request by the state to overrule an injunction issued by a federal appeals court that prevented prosecution of doctors that performed abortions in emergency circumstances that weren’t necessarily life-threatening.

The Defense of Life Act took affect after the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision ended the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022. Under the law, abortions are banned in nearly all situations — but there is an exception to prevent the mother’s death. 

The Biden administration sued over the ban, claiming it violated laws that protect health care providers that perform lifesaving abortion services in emergencies.

“These bans are also forcing doctors to leave Idaho and other states because of laws that interfere with their ability to care for their patients,” Biden said Friday in his statement. “This should never happen in America.”

The court is expected to hear oral arguments for the case in April and to make a decision in June. The provisions of the ban will be enforced until then. 

In his statement, the president reiterated his administration’s vow to defend reproductive rights and urged Congress to act.

“The Vice President and I believe that health care decisions should be made by women and their doctors, not politicians,” he said. “We will continue to defend a woman’s ability to access emergency care under federal law. As this case continues, the stakes could not be higher for women across America.”

“Congress must immediately restore the protections of Roe v. Wade so that women in every state can access the health care they need,” Biden added.