FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: Darcy Hirsh, National Council of Jewish Women, dhirsh@ncjw.org

With the Supreme Court’s decision turning back a challenge by Idaho to a federal law that protects emergency abortion care when a pregnant person is experiencing a medical emergency, National Council of Jewish Women Government Relations and Advocacy Director Darcy Hirsh issued the following statement.

“National Council of Jewish Women is relieved that the US Supreme Court’s decision will, for now, restore in Idaho the important protections of the federal law that allows emergency rooms to provide life-saving abortion care when a pregnant person is experiencing a medical emergency. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is and has been a vital component of our health care nationwide for four decades, providing for urgent and necessary care to pregnant people suffering serious health complications. And still, we know that this decision is likely a temporary reprieve and that the battle to ensure access to the full gamut of emergency care, including abortion, is still under threat in Idaho and across the country.

“We are appalled that even as this case was under review, the Court allowed Idaho’s extreme abortion ban to take precedence over federal law for six months, denying urgent and necessary care to pregnant people suffering serious health complications. These attacks on reproductive health care led by anti-abortion activists are motivated by the religious beliefs of a slim majority, infringing upon religious freedoms for the rest of us and the health of pregnant people — no matter how dire the consequences.

“This case goes to the very heart of Judaism’s support for all health care, including abortion, by mandating that when the life of a pregnant person is in danger, their health is paramount. This concept of the sanctity of human life, pikuach nefesh, is central to our tradition. National Council of Jewish Women will redouble our urgent efforts to mobilize the Jewish community in support of state and federal laws and policies to ensure that everyone can get the health care they need when they need it — including in emergency situations.”

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