High Court’s Ruling in EMTALA Cases Could Extend Beyond Emergency Abortions
George Washington UniversityLast week the Supreme Court announced it would hear oral arguments in two related cases from Idaho that focus on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and its relationship to state abortion bans. The immediate issue raised by the cases is whether EMTALA protects pregnant women experiencing health-endangering emergencies against state abortion bans that limit emergency care to life-or-death situations. According to a new analysis published by a George Washington University health law expert, the outcome in these cases will also decide whether states can deprive people of their federal right to emergency care by outlawing disfavored emergency treatments.