Rep. Blunt Rochester Statement on the Supreme Court Decision on Emergency Abortion Care
Washington,
June 27, 2024
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Maya Valentine
(302-299-8116)
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to sidestep a ruling in Moyle v. United States: “While today’s decision is welcome news for women in Idaho and across the nation, the Supreme Court’s decision may be temporary and leaves the door open to further attacks on reproductive rights. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) was put in place to ensure that patients received critical, life-saving care. However, the Court’s ruling in Moyle v. United States refuses to assert that EMTALA covers emergency care – including abortion care – in every state across the country. “In 2022, just two weeks after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I led 47 of my colleagues in seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about whether hospitals could still provide emergency reproductive health care, including abortion care, under EMTALA. Following my letter, HHS sent clarifying guidance to hospitals and upheld that emergency abortion care must be protected. Doctors and health care providers have a duty to ensure the health and safety of their patients which means they must be able to administer care without the fear of prosecution. “The Court should have made safeguarding EMTALA clear and definitive. Women’s reproductive freedom continues to be in a state of crisis, but I will always defend reproductive care against all attacks to restrict it across the country.” ### |
