Idaho Abortion Law Stalls in Senate

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill aimed at bringing Idaho's abortion laws in line with a recent federal court decision striking down the so-called fetal pain law has stalled in the Senate. The measure would have deleted sections of the existing law but also added new requirements physicians must meet before administering drugs that terminate pregnancies.

Meridian Republican Sen. Russ Fulcher said Tuesday the legislation introduced last Friday is stuck because time is running out on the 2013 Legislature. The bill came as a response to U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's decision earlier this month overturning Idaho's law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Fulcher said the Idaho Attorney General could appeal the decision, or wait for lawmakers to make necessary changes to the laws next year.