The U.S. Supreme Court sided with an appeals court ruling that upheld an abortion law in Idaho after being sued under provisions of a law aimed at ensuring access and care in the nation’s emergency rooms.
The nation’s highest court agreed to hear a case concerning the Biden administration’s interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and upheld Idaho’s law prohibiting the majority of abortions.
The administration argued that EMTALA mandates that abortions be performed by E.R. physicians but the Idaho attorney general’s office argued that the procedure is not mentioned in the law.
“The court’s announcement comes a few days after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that ER physicians in Texas were not required to perform emergency abortion care under EMTALA,” the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
The Reagan-era law states that a “medical system that accepts Medicare funding is required to provide stabilizing care to patients who come to the emergency room regardless of their ability to pay, including pregnant patients. To stabilize, according to the law, means to ensure a person’s condition won’t deteriorate in a significant way if they are transferred to another facility,” the outlet reported further.
Idaho’s abortion prohibition encompasses all stages of pregnancy and includes an exception solely for cases where the life of a pregnant patient is at risk. The government has contended that healthcare providers could face the dilemma of either risking criminal prosecution under the state law or facing the potential loss of funding and other enforcement actions for violating EMTALA.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador celebrated the ruling.
“We are very pleased and encouraged by the Supreme Court’s decision today. The federal government has been wrong from day one. Federal law does not preempt Idaho’s Defense of Life Act. In fact, EMTALA and Idaho’s law share the same goal: to save the lives of all women and their unborn children,” Labrador said.
“Today, the Supreme Court’s decision is a big step in stopping the administration’s lawless overreach. The people of Idaho have spoken with clarity on the issue of life,” he added.
