Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on EMTALA, Presidential Debate in Atlanta
For Immediate Release: June 27, 2024
ATLANTA, GA — Today, hours after the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in Idaho v. United States; Moyle v. United States—a case concerning whether emergency abortion care is included under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)—and hours before the 2024 Presidential Debate in Atlanta, Carol McDonald, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, released the following statement:
“Today is not a win for sexual and reproductive healthcare access. The Supreme Court failed to protect emergency abortion care nationwide. Abortion access—even in emergencies—is still under threat. We are at a moment in our country where politicians and courts toss around our access to our bodily autonomy to complete their decades-long agendas: control over people’s lives, bodies, and futures. We won’t stand for it and we will continue to fight against it using our full advocacy, organizing, and electoral tactics this year.
As Donald Trump arrives in Atlanta to spew his lies and false narratives on a debate stage, I want to remind everyone that this is Donald Trump’s Supreme Court that unleashed a national reproductive health crisis when it overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, and abortion opponents aren't stopping. The Supreme Court ruling continues to put pregnant people across the country at risk. We also know that Black and Hispanic patients have significantly higher rates of emergency department use due to high levels of uninsured and socioeconomic factors—meaning the EMTALA ruling is bound to disproportionately impact Black communities and other communities of color across our affiliate.
The future of reproductive care—including abortions—is on the ballot in 2024, and we have a clear choice. Donald Trump is a threat to reproductive freedom, and Roe was just the beginning. He and his allies want to ban abortion nationwide, and it’s clear they are coming for IVF and birth control next. He’s bragged about overturning Roe, he’s tried to defund Planned Parenthood, and he’s said that abortion patients should be punished. Enough is enough.”
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) has long been understood to protect emergency abortion care when it is the necessary treatment for a pregnant person experiencing a medical emergency. Enacted in 1986, EMTALA is a federal law that requires hospital emergency rooms that take Medicare funding to provide necessary treatment to people experiencing medical emergencies.
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As the organizing, advocacy, and electoral arm of Planned Parenthood Southeast, PPSEA engages in a range of electoral activities, including voter education and mobilization. We firmly believe that elected officials should champion policies and programs that empower women and their families to make informed choices regarding the prevention of unintended pregnancies and the cultivation of healthy families. PPSEA is dedicated to educating and mobilizing the public while supporting the election of lawmakers who prioritize these critical issues.