The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday that doctors in Idaho must be allowed to provide emergency abortions despite the state’s near-total ban. This decision was made in order to comply with the federal law that requires emergency rooms to provide “stabilizing treatments” to patients in critical condition.
The Court’s decision came in response to two cases involving Idaho’s abortion law, Moyle v. U.S. and Idaho v. U.S. The cases gained national attention following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, supported the Court’s decision to allow emergency abortions in Idaho. However, Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, criticized the Court’s decision, calling it “baffling.”
The Justice Department had sued Idaho over its Defense of Life Act, which criminalizes most abortions with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. The DOJ argued that the state’s law did not go far enough to allow abortions in emergency medical circumstances as required by the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Overall, the Supreme Court’s ruling on emergency abortions in Idaho has sparked debate over states’ rights and federal law. The issue is expected to continue to be litigated in lower courts and may potentially return to the Supreme Court in the future.
