WASHINGTON, D.C – In a significant victory for pro-life protections and state sovereignty, a legal battle over Idaho’s abortion law has come to an end in United States v. Idaho. After the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case as improvidently granted last summer, the case returned to the Ninth Circuit, where the court was deciding whether the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) could be used to require Idaho hospitals to perform abortions. However, in a major development, the Trump administration has stipulated to dismiss the case, immediately ending litigation.
The lawsuit stemmed from the previous administration’s attempt to reinterpret EMTALA to override Idaho’s pro-life law, which protects unborn children except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. Idaho leaders argued that the federal law does not mandate abortion, and that the administration’s position was a clear overreach of the statute’s anti-patient dumping provisions, which explicitly protect the “unborn child” in four separate provisions. With this dismissal, Idaho’s pro-life law remains in effect, ensuring that emergency rooms are not forced to perform abortions under federal directive.
Carolyn McDonnell, Legal Counsel at Americans United for Life commented:
“There is no state that limits a woman’s ability to receive care in the case of an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or medical emergency requiring mom and baby to be separated. Today’s dismissal affirms that the Biden administration’s efforts to use EMTALA as a backdoor mandate to allow abortions was unfounded. Idaho’s law rightfully prioritizes both mother and child, and today’s outcome is a testament to the state’s commitment to life.”
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, commented:
“This case was an alarming attempt by the Biden administration to force states that protect children in the womb into compliance with an extreme abortion agenda. Today’s outcome is a major win for the state of Idaho and for medical professionals who should never be compelled to take part in procedures that end innocent lives. We must always fight to protect them both, and now Idaho can do just that without federal interference.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with AUL, contact Alison Centofante at press@aul.org or 609-517-7235.
Since 1971, Americans United for Life (AUL) has advanced the human right to life in culture, law, and policy by equipping advocates and lawmakers with the facts and strategies that change hearts and minds and protect human life. The first national pro-life organization in the country, AUL is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
