Idaho Medical Freedom Act upheld by federal judge

A U.S. District Court judge has upheld Idaho’s Medical Freedom Act, dismissing a legal challenge brought by Le Soleil Child Care and several parents. The ruling maintains the state law, which prohibits businesses, schools, and government entities from denying services, jobs, or access based on a person’s private medical decisions for themselves or their children.

In the case Le Soleil Child Care v. Labrador, the plaintiffs argued that the law infringed upon their free-speech rights by preventing them from requiring vaccinations as a condition of care. However, Judge Amanda Brailsford dismissed the claims, stating that the relationship between a commercial daycare and its patrons does not constitute an ‘expressive association’ simply because they may share views on public health.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador successfully defended the statute, asserting that parents, rather than daycares, should make medical decisions for their children. The court accepted the state’s position that parents are not forced to enroll their children in any specific daycare, thereby weakening the plaintiffs' arguments against the law.