Supreme Court Case Threatens Emergency Abortion Care

Abortion rights activists protest in front of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, in 2022. Jason Connolly

The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States. These arguments are going to determine whether politicians can put doctors in jail for treating pregnant women who have medical emergencies.

Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned, this has been a very controversial topic in the political sphere.

Here is what you need to know so far.

This is about politicians trying to block emergency care for pregnant patients.

Politicians who are against abortion presented this case to the Supreme Court to deny pregnant people access to safe abortion processes. This includes life-threatening situations for these patients Currently laws like the Emergency Medical Treatment, Labor Act, or EMTALA, have guaranteed that patients can get the abortion care they need, regardless of where they live.

This is not a political issue anymore, this is a human rights issue. The Roe v. Wade case did not get rid of any of these laws, but now anti-abortion politicians are doing everything in their power to prevent abortion care in emergencies.

This case is already happening in Idaho.

The St. Luke’s Health System, the largest health system in Idaho, reports that they are now transferring pregnant patients with medical emergencies OUT OF STATE. The delay the Idaho patients are going to face is detrimental and can lead to many deaths. As a result, doctors do not want to practice in a state where they are criminalized for doing their job. Since the Roe v. Wade overturns, 20 percent of obstetricians have left the state. https://www.idahocsh.org/idaho-physician-wellbeing-action-collaborative

If this is passed on a federal level, this problem can take affect in all 50 states.

Politicians will not stop.

Politicians are not stopping at Roe v. Wade. This is just the beginning. Not only are they trying to ban treatment, but they are also pushing a legal strategy to give rights to embryos and fetuses that would override the rights of a pregnant person.

We should address this and fight back!

While there is already federal law to protect access to emergency care, the way anti-abortion politicians are trying to manipulate their state’s ban to deny people emergency care shows why we need to put an end to state bans once and for all. We need Congress to pass federal protections for abortion rights that will end extreme bans in states and protect access to care nationwide.