The hospital system said there could be “severe public health consequences” if the Department of Justice lawsuit is scuttled and an associated injunction goes away with it.

St. Luke’s Health System is suing Idaho’s Attorney General, arguing the state’s near-total abortion ban conflicts with federal law and puts doctors in an impossible position when treating pregnant patients in emergencies.

Idaho’s largest health system is suing Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador in federal court, seeking to extend court protections that have allowed for emergency abortions despite the state’s near total-abortion ban. St. Luke’s Health System filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Idaho on Tuesday.

The State Attorney General responded to a new lawsuit brought against him this week. Fearing the incoming Trump administration might dismiss a similar case currently making its way through the courts.

The state's largest health system says physicians are caught between state laws that can limit care, and federal requirements to provide emergency medical treatment.