The Supreme Court has dismissed an abortion case from Idaho, providing a temporary victory for abortion rights advocates. This decision will allow women to receive emergency abortions despite the state’s near-total ban. However, the justices did not delve into the details of the case, which centered around 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 that endanger the life – not the health – of the mother. The Biden administration disagreed with this stance and filed a lawsuit. The short opinion, delivered without signatures, sends the case back to a lower court.
The vote to dismiss the case was 6-3, with three conservative justices joining forces with three liberal justices. This decision will offer a temporary shield from legal action for doctors who determine that an abortion is necessary treatment for a patient in life-threatening situations in various states. However, the court’s avoidance of addressing the core issues of the case 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.