CCRF and FAB Council Statement Regarding SCOTUS Hearing on EMTALA
April 24, 2024
The rights, safety, and autonomy of pregnant and birthing people are once again under attack. On April 24th, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments for Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States, which would determine whether a 40 year-old federal health law designed to protect patients seeking emergency medical care, preempts state abortion bans. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), is the federal law which requires nearly all hospitals to provide stabilizing medical care to patients experiencing emergency medical conditions. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have reinforced covered hospitals’ obligations to patients experiencing emergency conditions related to pregnancy and clarified their obligation to provide medical treatment necessary to stabilize patients, including abortion.
CCRF and members of the FAB Steering Committee released the following statement:
“This critical case will determine if EMTALA’s long standing requirements preempt individual state abortion bans; or, if anti-abortion states can reject federal law and deny people who need abortions the right to stabilizing and potentially life-saving healthcare. As was the case when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion bans have always been about controlling people’s lives and bodies. A decision in favor of Idaho would further undermine our right to bodily autonomy, exacerbating the devastating impacts of Dobbs on individuals' health and well-being.”
“In California, we will continue to work to ensure that everyone experiencing a health emergency can get the care they need, including abortion. California’s constitutional right to abortion and its emergency transfer laws paralleling EMTALA’s requirements protect access to abortion in California regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in this case. The California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (CCRF) in partnership with it's independent project, the CA Future of Abortion (FAB) Council, are working tirelessly to fight abortion stigma in communities and medical settings, train and equip our emergency departments to prepare for Californians and out-of-state patients, and champion pro-abortion policy that will protect patients, abortion providers, and our human right to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including abortion.”
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The rights, safety, and autonomy of pregnant and birthing people are once again under attack. On April 24th, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments for Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States, which would determine whether a 40 year-old federal health law designed to protect patients seeking emergency medical care, preempts state abortion bans. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), is the federal law which requires nearly all hospitals to provide stabilizing medical care to patients experiencing emergency medical conditions. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have reinforced covered hospitals’ obligations to patients experiencing emergency conditions related to pregnancy and clarified their obligation to provide medical treatment necessary to stabilize patients, including abortion.
CCRF and members of the FAB Steering Committee released the following statement:
“This critical case will determine if EMTALA’s long standing requirements preempt individual state abortion bans; or, if anti-abortion states can reject federal law and deny people who need abortions the right to stabilizing and potentially life-saving healthcare. As was the case when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion bans have always been about controlling people’s lives and bodies. A decision in favor of Idaho would further undermine our right to bodily autonomy, exacerbating the devastating impacts of Dobbs on individuals' health and well-being.”
“In California, we will continue to work to ensure that everyone experiencing a health emergency can get the care they need, including abortion. California’s constitutional right to abortion and its emergency transfer laws paralleling EMTALA’s requirements protect access to abortion in California regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in this case. The California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (CCRF) in partnership with it's independent project, the CA Future of Abortion (FAB) Council, are working tirelessly to fight abortion stigma in communities and medical settings, train and equip our emergency departments to prepare for Californians and out-of-state patients, and champion pro-abortion policy that will protect patients, abortion providers, and our human right to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including abortion.”
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