A sign taped to a hanger hangs near the Idaho Capitol in Boise after protests against the state’s new abortion laws, which effectively banned the procedure. Credit: Sarah A. Miller / Idaho Statesman / TNS

Amid a flood of residents fleeing states that ban abortions to seek legal procedures or medication elsewhere, Idaho has become the first state to try to stem that exodus — at least for minors.

Abortion is illegal at all stages of pregnancy in Idaho and a dozen other states. The law signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little Wednesday creates a new crime of “abortion trafficking,” threatening prosecution for any adult who helps transport a pregnant Idaho girl to get an abortion without her parents’ consent.

Abortion rights advocates and legal experts say they expect other states to follow Idaho’s approach — and eventually to extend interstate travel prohibitions to adults.

The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly include a right to interstate travel, but it is implied. Idaho’s new law attempts to skirt that issue by criminalizing only the in-state portion of a trip to […]

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