Arizona Attorney General joins coalition to fight Idaho’s abortion travel ban

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 20 states in a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s so-called abortion “travel ban,” according to a Tuesday news release.

The group of attorneys is teaming up against an Idaho law that would make it a crime for adults to help minors travel out of the state to have abortions.

“States are free to regulate abortion within their border, but Idaho’s restrictive law goes too far,” Mayes said in a statement.

“When a state like Idaho prevents its residents from getting reproductive healthcare in their home state, those patients are entitled to seek out care in a state that lets patients make medical decisions without imposition of the government.”

Three parties filed the amicus brief earlier this month in the U.S. District Court in Idaho, according to Mayes.

An attorney representing sexual assault victims, the Northwest Abortion Access Fund and the Indigenous Idaho Alliance are spearheading the legal fight against Idaho’s abortion restrictions.

Why is Kris Mayes against Idaho’s abortion travel ban?

The paperwork includes legal arguments that Idaho’s law endangers minors who live in the state — as well as healthcare providers in other states. According to Mayes, Idaho shouldn’t be allowed to criminalize abortion providers in other states.

The legal filing also argues that Idaho’s attempt to control where its citizens go for healthcare violates Supreme Court precedent.

California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Oregon are also part of the cross-country coalition.

“We’ve seen that anti-choice extremists will attack privacy and fundamental healthcare rights over and over,” Mayes said in a statement.

“I will continue to take legal positions that will protect the health, safety, and privacy of all Arizonans — and I will always defend a woman’s autonomy.”