WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – A new Supreme Court ruling allows doctors in Idaho to perform emergency abortions, despite the state’s strict regulations.
The case centered on a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA. It requires federally funded hospitals to provide ‘stabilizing care’ to emergency room patients.
When Idaho restricted abortions, the Biden administration sued, arguing that violated EMTALA.
On Thursday, the justices dismissed the case in a 6-3 ruling, allowing a lower court ruling permitting emergency abortions to stand.
Dr. Michele Goodwin is a professor at Georgetown Law.
“For now, there’s a reprieve for those doctors, who should take some legal comfort in this case,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin says it’s important to note that the justices didn’t decide this case based on the arguments.
“This is a ruling that is technical, it’s not one that is based on the substance,” Goodwin said.
That dismissal of the case means a lot of legal questions at the heart of the abortion debate are left unanswered.
“In the backdrop of what’s become a very strong anti-abortion movement, it doesn’t mean this is over,” Goodwin said.
The issue will continue to play out in lower courts, and could even come before the Supreme Court again.
“This decision, perhaps, just holds off some other strategy that might come from a state like Idaho or a state like Texas,” Goodwin said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department stands by their decision to challenge Idaho’s law, and vowed to continue the fight for abortion access.
“The Justice Department will continue to use every available tool to ensure that women in every state have access to that care,” Garland said.
