Judge dismisses Idaho lawsuit over telemedicine abortion ban

A federal judge has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit challenging two anti-abortion laws in Idaho now that lawmakers have repealed the targeted statutes.

In 2015, the Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands sued the state over two newly enacted bans that prohibited women from receiving abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine. Planned parenthood argued that the laws placed unnecessary burdens on women seeking safe abortions.

However, the lawsuit was put on pause after U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill agreed to give lawmakers time during the 2017 session to repeal the contested statutes. Republican lawmakers begrudgingly complied and Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed the repeal legislation on April 4.

Winmill dismissed the case Tuesday, ordering that each party pay their own attorney and legal fees.