According to the department, Idaho’s near-total abortion ban would have made it nearly impossible for patients who need an abortion in emergency medical situations, such as an ectopic pregnancy, from receiving potentially lifesaving treatment.

“In the days since the decision, there have been widespread reports of delays or denials to pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies,” Attorney-General Merrick Garland told reporters on Tuesday.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that pregnant women get the medical care that they are entitled to.”

The Kansas abortion referendum was one of several key votes that took place on Tuesday night (US time), alongside primaries in Arizona, Michigan, Missouri and Washington state - many of which tested the clout of former president Donald Trump and his false claims of election fraud.

In Arizona, one of the states that fell to Biden in 2020, Trump endorsed and campaigned in the primaries for a slate of contenders who supported his falsehoods.

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Among them was former news anchor Kari Lake in the race for Arizona governor, who has repeatedly said she would have refused to certify Biden’s narrow victory. Votes were still being counted late on Tuesday night, with the result too close to call.

In Michigan, conservative media commentator Tudor Dixon - who has echoed Trump’s false election fraud claims - was predicted to win her primary to become the Republicans’ candidate for governor.

This will pit her against the incumbent governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who was one of the women shortlisted to be Biden’s running mate in 2020. Whitmer also made headlines that year after members of a militia group were arrested over a plot to kidnap her and mount a civil war.

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And in Missouri, state Attorney-General Eric Schmitt won the Republican nomination for an open Senate seat, decisively derailing the attempted political comeback of former governor Eric Greitens, whose campaign had been damaged by allegations of family violence, infidelity and corruption.

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