Today, the Supreme Court released an opinion in the consolidated cases Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States, dismissing the writ of certiorari and returning the case to the lower courts. This ruling does not address the central conflict between the state’s extreme abortion ban and the core principle of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) that all people, regardless of their pregnancy status, deserve access to emergency medical care.
“While today’s ruling will provide temporary relief to Idaho patients seeking emergency medical care, the National Health Law Program is disappointed that the Supreme Court chose to sidestep the issue instead of reaffirming the nearly forty-year-old guarantee in EMTALA that all patients, regardless of pregnancy status, deserve emergency medical care. This ruling means this litigation will continue in the lower courts, and the fight to protect abortion access is far from over. NHeLP will continue our work to protect and expand access to abortion for all people, regardless of income, insurance type, or zip code.” says Cat Duffy, Policy Analyst at the National Health Law Program.
Learn more about our Abortion Policy Work
Abortion is health care. Period. Beyond improving affordable access to care, insurance coverage is crucial to normalizing abortion as the basic health care service that it is. The National Health Law Program works at every level to protect access to the full range of essential reproductive health services, including abortion, in Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, and private insurance.
