SCOTUS Temporarily Allows Emergency Abortion Care in Idaho

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2024
Contact: [email protected]

Statement from Brittany Fonteno, President and CEO of National Abortion Federation:

The Supreme Court had the chance to affirm the federal protections of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), yet they chose instead to merely delay the case on procedural grounds. Let’s be clear: it is the bare minimum to allow emergency abortion care to protect the health and life of women and pregnant people. While today’s ruling is a temporary reprieve, it is not a victory, and this case will continue to move through the courts.

As health care providers know all too well, abortion care can be necessary to stabilize a patient experiencing certain health conditions and even to save a patient’s life in some cases. Clinicians want to provide the life-saving care that their patients need and the ability to do so should not be determined by what state they are practicing in. We must allow medical professionals to do their jobs and provide essential health care without political interference. 

As we’ve known for the last two years, abortion opponents were not satisfied with overturning Roe v. Wade. Anti-abortion politicians brought this case all the way to the Supreme Court to deny women and pregnant people access to abortion care in all cases—including care that is life-saving. Sadly, as is too often the case, those who already face systemic barriers to accessing health care–including BIPOC, young people, immigrants, people living in rural communities, or people with lower incomes–will suffer the harshest consequences of bans like the one in Idaho.

The National Abortion Federation is committed to working with all of our members to ensure they can continue providing the essential care their patients and communities need. We will not stop fighting for reproductive freedom and for a world where everyone has access to the equitable and  evidence-based abortion care they deserve.

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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the nation’s largest and leading professional association of abortion providers. NAF represents hundreds of providers and clinics across the country that are on the frontlines of abortion access. NAF provides members with trainings, security support, and guidelines that serve as the gold standard of abortion care. NAF also operates the National Abortion Hotline, the nation’s largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual hotline for abortion resources and travel and financial assistance in the U.S. Learn more at https://nationalabortionfederation.org