The Supreme Court has delivered a temporary victory for abortion rights advocates in Idaho, allowing women to receive emergency abortions despite the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. However, this decision did not address the details of the case, which focused on a federal law mandating hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to patients with emergency medical conditions. The state of Idaho argued that this law could not override its abortion ban, which only permits abortions in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. The Biden administration disagreed with this stance and filed a lawsuit.
In a 6-3 vote, the justices sent the case back to a lower court without addressing the core issues of the case. This means that future challenges to Emtala, the law under debate, can still be presented. This development follows a ruling two years ago that overturned Roe v Wade, returning control over abortion rights to individual states. It is the second abortion-related ruling by the Supreme Court this month, with the court also rejecting a recent attempt to limit access to the abortion pill, mifepristone. In this case, the court stated that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to file a lawsuit, paving the way for potential future legal challenges regarding the drug.
