Ferguson, other Democratic AGs ask SCOTUS to block red state bans on emergency abortions
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and nearly two dozen other Democratic-led states urged the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve the ability of emergency room doctors to provide abortions, arguing that failing to do so would have devastating effects for their health care systems and women across the country.
At issue is whether a near-total Idaho abortion ban conflicts with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a federal law that governs how hospitals must provide emergency care for patients facing dangerous medical conditions.
While the Idaho law forbids all abortions with narrow exceptions for rape, incest and imminent death, EMTALA requires doctors to provide “stabilizing care” for patients with significant health risks, not just fatal prognoses. And for pregnant patients, that care has long been understood as including abortions when necessary to stave off critical conditions, like preeclampsia and hemorrhage.
In August 2022, the Biden administration sued Idaho over its ban and quickly won a ruling from a federal district that froze the law. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court paused the lower court’s decision and agreed to hear an appeal in April.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/04/01/ferguson-other-democratic-ags-ask-scotus-to-block-red-state-bans-on-emergency-abortions/
