The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to permit emergency abortions in Idaho for pregnant women facing medical emergencies.
This is the first ruling from the nation’s highest court on the scope of a state’s abortion ban since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
According to Mail Online, the justices evaluated whether the state violated federal law, which mandates emergency care for any patient, including abortions for pregnant women in life-threatening situations.
Idaho argued that federal law cannot override its abortion ban, which only has an exception for the life, but not the health, of the mother.
The Biden administration disagreed and sued, and the case went back to a lower court.
In a 6-3 vote, three conservative justices joined the three liberal justices to dismiss the case, stating it had been “improvidently granted.”
For now, the decision protects doctors from prosecution if they determine that an abortion is necessary to save a patient in jeopardy.
However, the court’s avoidance of the case’s substance means future challenges to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) are possible.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in part assent and part dissent, criticized the dismissal, stating the court had “shirked its duty to resolve a pressing legal issue.”
“The conflict between state and federal law still exists in real life,” she said, referring to Idaho’s near-total abortion ban. “There is no good reason not to resolve this conflict now.”
Abortion rights activists echoed Jackson’s concerns, saying the court left women vulnerable.
“We are relieved for the moment, but hardly celebrating. The Court kicked the can down the road,” said Nancy Northup, president of the pro-choice advocacy group the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Women with dire pregnancy complications and the hospital staff who care for them need clarity right now.”
In Idaho, abortion is banned throughout pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest, some nonviable pregnancies, and when “it is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman.”
Doctors who violate the law risk prison time, fines, and the loss of their medical license.
A group of 678 Idaho doctors stated in court documents that the ban has already harmed women who were denied care for serious pregnancy complications.
However, anti-abortion activists argue that doctors have misinterpreted the law, which allows for life-threatening cases.
The Idaho Hospital Association applauded the decision as a “significant step toward ensuring that hospitals and physicians can offer critical care without government interference,” but noted that the abortion law “still needs added clarity to protect the health and well-being of Idaho women.”