Federal appeals court pauses Idaho ruling allowing abortion exceptions for women's health

A federal appeals court has temporarily paused a judge's earlier ruling that required Idaho to allow exceptions to its abortion ban when a doctor deemed it necessary to protect a woman's health, The Hill reported.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision on Friday to halt the enforcement of the exceptions permitted by the lower court ruling.

The case originated when a doctor sued over Idaho's abortion restrictions, challenging the state's ban and seeking exceptions for women's health.

The appeals court's decision means that, for now, Idaho's abortion ban remains in effect without the health-related exceptions previously ordered by the judge.