The Trump administration announced Tuesday it will revoke a federal policy that required hospitals to provide emergency abortions when necessary to stabilise a woman’s medical condition.The guidance was originally issued by the Biden administration in 2022, after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. It was an effort to make sure women in medical emergencies, such as severe bleeding or risk of organ failure, could still get abortions when needed to save their health.The Biden administration had cited the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals receiving Medicare funding to provide stabilizing treatment for patients in emergency situations. Since nearly all US emergency rooms depend on Medicare funds, the guidance applied nationwide.With Tuesday’s announcement, the Trump administration said it will no longer enforce that requirement, raising concerns among doctors and abortion rights advocates about access to critical care.Even with the federal guidance in place, an AP investigation last year found that dozens of pregnant women were already being denied emergency care even during the Biden administration, including those who needed emergency abortions.The Biden administration had previously sued Idaho, arguing the state’s law, which only allowed abortions to save the life of the mother, violated EMTALA. The US Supreme Court issued a procedural ruling in the case but left key legal questions unresolved, including whether doctors in abortion-ban states can legally provide abortions in emergencies where a patient faces serious health risks.Nancy Northup, CEO of the center for reproductive rights, condemned the decision. “The Trump administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions,” she said in a statement. “Hospitals need more guidance, not less, to stop them from turning away patients experiencing pregnancy crises.
