Legal Brief: Supreme Court dismisses EMTALA case

Posted on: 6/28/24

On Thursday, June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case about emergency abortions in Idaho. The case centered around whether the federal EMTALA law superseded Idaho’s state abortion law, which only allows for abortions if the mother’s life is in danger. EMTALA on the other hand, requires Medicare-contracted hospitals to perform abortions if necessary to “prevent serious health harms.” In what was essentially a 6-3 decision, the Court did not actually provide an opinion on whether EMTALA supersedes more restrictive state laws but remanded the case to the lower courts for resolution. 

Essentially, we will have to wait and see how this case plays out in the lower courts. For now, the temporary injunction preventing enforcement of Idaho’s law will be in effect as the case makes its way through the lower courts. It is possible that the case could end up back at the Supreme Court again, as the issue of whether EMTALA supersedes state law in regard to abortion was not settled by the Supreme Court. (Maggie Martin)