Attorney General Stein Files Brief In Support Of Protecting Emergency Abortion Care

SourcePress Release

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed a friend-of-the-court brief along with a coalition of 24 other attorneys general at the end of March, imploring the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a ruling that requires Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortion care. 

“If a woman’s life or health is at risk, it’s imperative that she get the emergency medical care she needs,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Abortion care is medical care, and hospitals must continue to provide it.”

Under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), to which every U.S. hospital with an emergency department that participates in Medicare is subject, emergency rooms are required to provide all patients with the treatment they need to stabilize their condition, including abortion care. This puts it in conflict with Idaho’s new state law that bans abortions in nearly all cases, medical emergencies included. 

The Biden administration has sued to stop enforcement of the Idaho law, saying that state law cannot interfere with the federal EMTALA. In their brief, Stein and the other attorneys general support the argument that abortion care has always been protected under EMTALA. That is, Idaho residents and visitors should be able to get abortion care in emergencies regardless of the state’s abortion ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the consolidated cases Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States for which the brief was filed on April 24, with a decision expected in June 2024. 

Share:

More Posts

NC House Democrats Stand United Against SB 153

SB 153 is a right-wing bill that would burden local law enforcement, infringe on the rights of local governments, and further empower ICE to perform unconstitutional raids on North Carolina communities. 

Redadas de ICE en Charlotte y Concord: Intensificación de Arrestos de Inmigrantes en Carolina del Norte

En una reunión celebrada el 21 de mayo en la sede de ICE en Washington, el principal asesor del presidente Trump, Stephen Miller, y la secretaría de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, instruyeron a los oficiales de inmigración a aumentar los arrestos diarios a 3,000, triplicando la cifra alcanzada en los primeros meses del mandato de Trump. Este objetivo forma parte de un esfuerzo por ejecutar la operación de deportación más grande en la historia de Estados Unidos. 

Trump’s FEMA Denies North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene Aid Request, Again

“FEMA’s denial of our appeal will cost North Carolina taxpayers potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up out west,” Stein explained. “The money we have to pay toward debris removal will mean less money toward supporting our small businesses, rebuilding downtown infrastructure, repairing our water and sewer systems, and other critical needs.”

3 Million People Could Lose SNAP Under GOP Plan, Gov. Stein Warns of NC Fallout

“If Congress goes forward with these plans, our state will be forced into perilous budget decisions – should North Carolinians lose access to food, or should we get rid of other essential services?” Gov. Stein wrote. “I urge our members of Congress to reject this budget proposal so that North Carolina families don’t go hungry.”