The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday that doctors in Idaho must be permitted to provide emergency abortions, despite the state's recent near-total ban on the procedure. This decision aligns with the federal law that mandates emergency rooms to administer 'stabilizing treatments' to patients in critical conditions.
In an unsigned opinion, the Court determined that the writs of certiorari in two cases related to the law were 'improvidently granted' and lifted the stays that had been previously imposed earlier this year.
The cases in question, Moyle v. U.S. and Idaho v. U.S., gained national attention following the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Idaho's newly enacted Defense of Life Act criminalizes performing abortions, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk.
The Justice Department contended that Idaho's law did not adequately allow for abortions in additional medical emergency situations. They argued that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) mandates healthcare providers to provide 'stabilizing treatment,' including abortions, when necessary to address an emergency medical condition, even if it conflicts with a state's abortion restrictions.
On the other hand, the state maintained that interpreting EMTALA as a federal abortion mandate raised significant concerns under the major questions doctrine that impact both Congress and the Court. Supporters of Idaho's abortion restrictions accused the Biden administration of undermining states' rights, referencing the Dobb's decision that granted states the authority to regulate abortion access.
