The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on a case that may impact emergency health care for pregnant people in Ohio, according to a group of Ohio doctors.
SCOTUS will decide if states need to continue following the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which allows emergency room doctors to perform abortions on patients if their life is in jeopardy, regardless of state abortion laws.
Members of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights said during a virtual news conference Monday that they are concerned the outcome could hamper their ability to make life-saving decisions.
If the Supreme Court rules state abortion laws should supersede that federal rule, it could lead to confusion, said Dr. Marcela Azevedo, the group’s founder and a Northeast Ohio pulmonologist.
"I would prepare ourselves for having that same level of confusion that we did immediately after Dobbs, because that is not a place that is comfortable to be practicing medical care, where you don't understand what the legal ramifications are for your practice," she said.
If states are allowed to decide on the abortion aspect of EMTALA, it could also mean a scenario in which some Ohio hospitals are able to turn away pregnant patients with emergencies, whereas ERs are currently required to treat anyone who comes in with an emergency, Azevedo said.
“In the Ohio state constitution, it says patients have a right to abortion, but it doesn't say that every hospital must treat it in the case of an emergency medical treatment," she said.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision is expected this summer.
