Medical Emergencies and Maternal Health
Why abortion restrictions can intersect with federal emergency-care duties when a pregnant patient faces a serious medical emergency.
EMTALA
The federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, commonly called EMTALA, requires Medicare-participating hospitals with emergency departments to screen patients with emergency medical conditions and provide stabilizing treatment or an appropriate transfer.
Conflict with state abortion restrictions
Legal disputes have arisen over situations in which physicians believe terminating a pregnancy is necessary stabilizing treatment but state abortion law is more restrictive. Courts have considered how federal emergency-care obligations interact with state law.
Supreme Court action in Moyle
In 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the Moyle v. United States case without deciding the underlying merits, leaving further litigation over EMTALA and state abortion restrictions to continue in the lower courts.