Today, the Trump Administration rescinded guidance from 2022 related to EMTALA’s obligations specific to emergency abortion care. Ob/gyn in Washington DC and President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. Jamila Perritt responds:
“I am deeply troubled by the Trump Administration’s abandonment of responsibility to people who need emergency medical care, specifically in cases where this care includes an abortion. This action sends a clear message: the lives and health of pregnant people are not worth protecting. Complying with this law can mean the difference between life and death for pregnant people, forcing providers like me to choose between caring for someone in their time of need and turning my back on them to comply with cruel and dangerous laws.
The devastating consequence of inaction in the face of an emergency is preventable death, plain and simple. Patients deserve better.
“As an ob/gyn, I have practiced for more than 20 years, providing comprehensive, evidence-based care to pregnant patients—care that includes managing pregnancy loss and miscarriages, treating complications that may occur during the course of pregnancy, and providing abortion care. In emergency situations, health care providers do not have time to second-guess their expertise as they attempt to navigate legal interference and governmental overreach. We must be able to adequately respond to the needs of people seeking care, regardless of their pregnancy status. The devastating consequence of inaction in the face of an emergency is preventable death, plain and simple. Patients deserve better.
“Despite this action, it is important to remember that EMTALA is still the law of the land. As a doctor, I have a moral and ethical obligation to provide emergency care to those in need, including EMTALA’s mandate to provide abortion care when it is necessary and stabilizing treatment. This action does not change that. This Administration’s politicization of health care, coupled with their desire to control and dictate if, when, and how individuals build their families ultimately strips patients of their right to timely, life-saving care.
Despite this action, it is important to remember that EMTALA is still the law of the land.
“Our communities deserve better. We, as providers, deserve better. Clinicians must be able to practice evidence-based medicine guided by extensive research and training, not politics and opinions. The pregnant people in our communities deserve leadership that protects their health and centers their humanity, not abortion bans and restrictions that further endanger them in moments of crisis. This decision comes amidst a flurry of other harmful state and federal actions against people who need health care access most. Despite the chaos and confusion they cause, the misinformation and disinformation they propagate, we must not get distracted; we must stay diligent and focused on ensuring we can continue to provide and access the health care our communities need to survive and thrive, even when that care includes abortion.”
