Judge Strikes Down Fetal Pain Abortion Law

(BOISE, ID)  —  A federal judge has struck down Idaho’s ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled late Wednesday that the so-called “fetal pain law” places an undue burden on a woman’s right to have an abortion. Jennie Linn McCormack of Pocatello sued the state in 2011 after she was charged with a felony for taking pills to terminate her pregnancy. The original law, which was spurred by McCormack’s case, was based on the theory advanced by some health professionals who believe a fetus can feel pain 20 weeks after conception.