Pregnancy Complications After : The Role of EMTALA

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

The western journal of emergency medicine

Volume

25

Issue

1

DOI

10.5811/westjem.61457

Abstract

In June 2023, the Supreme Court declared that there was no longer a right to abortion under the federal constitution. This decision has allowed states to promulgate different restrictions on abortion, many of which implicate the practice of emergency medicine. An abortion is defined as a "medical intervention provided to individuals who need to end the medical condition of pregnancy" and includes care such as termination of an ectopic pregnancy and induction of labor for previable preterm premature rupture of membranes-interventions that emergency physicians either perform or rely on the assistance of consultants to perform. State bans on abortion must be evaluated against duties under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a federal law that preempts state law. In this paper we examine the conflict between state and federal law as it applies to emergency abortion care and describe how emergency physicians can continue caring for patients.

Department

Emergency Medicine

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS