Alliance Defending Freedom and the Office of the Attorney General of Idaho are celebrating a significant victory for Life after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an interim stay blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a mandate that would require doctors in Idaho to provide abortions against the state’s Defense of Life Act.
The ruling comes in response to a legal challenge from Idaho against the administration’s interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Under the administration’s interpretation, EMTALA would force emergency room doctors to provide elective abortions illegal under Idaho law.
The Supreme Court’s temporary stay will remain in effect until the high court makes a final ruling on the case later this year.
It allows Idaho’s Defense of Life Act to remain in force, under which physicians cannot perform an abortion unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother.
A federal district court previously ruled that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) preempts this state law, requiring elective abortions in ERs.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed an emergency application for stay pending appeal, urging the Supreme Court to immediately stay this injunction while the case proceeds on appeal.
Twenty states also filed an amicus brief supporting Idaho’s position against federal overreach.
“What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom Church Alliance and Alliance Defending Freedom Ministry provide legal defense for churches, ministries, and other faith-based groups access to legal support, which arms them against potential lawsuits, subpoenas, or complaints that could hinder them from functioning in alignment with their religious convictions.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador praised the Supreme Court’s decision in State of Idaho v. United States of America, stating, We are very pleased and encouraged by the Supreme Court’s decision. The federal government has been wrong from day one. Federal law does not preempt Idaho’s Defense of Life Act. In fact, EMTALA and Idaho’s law share the same goal: to save the lives of all women and their unborn children. My Office of Solicitor General—together with the experienced and highly respected Supreme Court advocacy firms I’ve selected to assist us—looks forward to representing the people of Idaho before the Supreme Court. The administration’s lawless attempt to override Idaho’s decision to preserve all our citizens’ lives must be stopped.”
ADF Senior Counsel Erin Hawley, vice president of the ADF Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, said in a statement on Alliance Defending Freedom Media, “Women and unborn children deserve to know that emergency room doctors will do everything possible to preserve their lives. This includes treating women experiencing ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, and other life-threatening conditions. The government has no business forcing emergency room physicians to violate their duty to provide life-saving care to all, including unborn children. We are proud to serve alongside the state of Idaho to ensure doctors can freely and safely serve women and their families.”
The stay will stop legal challenges to Idaho’s abortion restrictions until the case is decided later this year.
It allows Idaho to continue to enforce the Defense of Life Act, enabling doctors to continue saving and protecting the lives of women and children in Idaho.
Learn more about Alliance Defending Freedom here: https://adfmedia.org/about-us
